Elgin, Ill., Nov. 5, 2021 - Elgin Community College baseball student-athlete Nik Panico is the Illinois Skyway Collegiate Conference (ISCC) Dick Durrant Award for Academic Excellence recipient.

This prestigious award is given annually to the ISCC male and female student-athlete with the highest grade point average after four semesters. Panico has maintained a 4.0 GPA throughout his college career.

The award is named after Dick Durrant, who was a teacher, coach and athletic director at Elgin Community College from 1961 through 1985. Durrant championed the philosophy of academic as well as athletic excellence while at Elgin.

In the 2021 baseball season, Panico was named Second Team All-Region as an infielder. He earned 30 runs on a team-high 44 hits for 29 RBI, including 11 doubles, five triples and five homeruns. Panico also led the team in batting average (.358), on-base percentage (.500) and slugging percentage (.650).