INA, Ill. (February 13, 2024)—In 2024, Rend Lake College will begin celebrating Students of the Month. These students are selected based on their GPA, as well as their campus and community involvement. Please join us in celebrating the Student of the Month: Ethan Hamrick (Mt. Zion).
Hamrick graduated from Mt. Zion High School with a 3.98 GPA. Ethan is currently on track to graduate from Rend Lake College with an Associate’s Degree in Business, while enjoying a 4.0 GPA.
Hamrick is a valued member of the Warrior’s Baseball team.
Baseball’s Head Coach Chris Moddelmog said, “Hamrick is a great kid and leader for the team on and off the field. He is a smart, bright, hard-working student athlete that will be super successful in life after RLC.”
One of Hamrick’s business professors Mark Jornd said, “I am pleased to nominate Ethan Hamrick for Student of the Month. From the first day, he has consistently impressed me with his intellectual curiosity, strong work ethic, and insightful contributions. His grasp of complex business concepts is exceptional, and his ability to apply them to real-world scenarios is remarkable. But what truly sets him apart is his collaborative spirit, innovative thinking, and willingness to go the extra mile. Ethan is an invaluable asset to the classroom and a shining example for his peers. He is highly deserving of this recognition.”
RLC is delighted to see our student-athletes be recognized for their upstanding character not only by our faculty and staff, but also by members of our community such as CEO of Banterra Bank Jeff May.
“How could you not want to support RLC?” said May. “They’re a community college, Banterra is a community bank, we both care about serving the people living here Southern Illinois, so it makes sense that we partner up to bring high caliber facilities that match the caliber of the students here. That is why we are committed to The Game Plan and the Banterra Sports Complex.”
The Game Plan is an opportunity to renovate and expand the facilities within the Waugh Gymnasium on the RLC campus. Banterra Bank acquired naming rights of the gym and will hence force be known as The Banterra Sports Complex, which is RLC’s largest corporate naming rights agreement to date. Renovations of the Banterra Sports Complex is estimated to begin in Fall 2024.
About Rend Lake College Warriors and Banterra Sports Complex
Rend Lake College is a member of the Great Rivers Athletic Conference (GRAC) and the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA). Rend Lake College Warrior and Lady Warrior teams compete in archery, men and women’s basketball, baseball, men and women’s golf, softball, trapshooting, and women’s volleyball. The 2021-2022 Warriors’ basketball team was named NJCAA Academic Team of the Year, finishing with a collective of 3.61 GPA. In 2013, the Warrior men's basketball team won the Division II national championship.
The planned Banterra Sports Complex at Rend Lake College will include the existing James “Hummer” Waugh Gymnasium as well as a new addition to the space. Waugh Gymnasium is one of the original buildings on the college’s campus and in 1995 was named after Waugh, a long-time coach and educator with nearly 50 combined athletic seasons to his credit when he retired. In addition to the gym, it includes athletic offices and locker rooms.