Bennettsville — Marlboro County junior wrestler Jamison Bethea competes in the 106-pound weight class but don’t let his small stature fool you; 18 of his 33 dual meet wins this season was by pins, often very early in the competition.
Bethea was just one win away from the Lower State finals and he finished with a 33-11 record following his third season of competing on the Bulldog wrestling team. Bethea is also in his third year as a center mid-fielder on his high school soccer team.
For his dedication as a student athlete, who also excels in the class room, Bethea has been named the February “NETC Male Student Athlete of the Month.”
This honor is bestowed through a partnership between the Northeastern Technical College and “The High School Sports Report” with the publication communicating with athletic directors at high schools in the counties of Dillon, Marlboro, and Chesterfield, where NETC serves the needs of high school students seeking to earn dual credits in various academic subjects. These online course credits can be transferred to college credits after a student’s entrance to college, after their high school graduation.
Bethea explained why he enjoys being a high school wrestler. “I just enjoy competing against other people my same weight and the sport challenges you both physically and mentally,” he said. “The sport can test you, up to and beyond your limits. I also enjoy making friends with other wrestlers not in my weight class.”
On the soccer field, Bethea explains his role as a mid-fielder in these words: “You run, run, and run some more,” he said. “You are never sitting still and the sport has kept me in shape.”
Mid-way through his junior year, Bethea has benefitted from taking six online dual credit courses through NETC. They are Psychology, Medical Terminology, Western Civilization, Introduction to Computer Science, Biology and Economics.
“Taking online courses through NETC has helped me become better organized, has helped me focused on improving my time management skills, and the experience has given me a glimpse of how the academic challenges will be for me once I enroll in college.”
Bethea carries a 4.7 GPA in his academic course work and he is currently ranked number 12 among 173 students in the junior class at Marlboro County High.
“My goal is to attend Duke University after high school and work towards a degree in Health Science,” said Bethea. “I hope to become either a Pediatrician or an ophthalmologist.”
Bethea said it would be in the best interest of all high school students in the Chesterfield, Marlboro, and Dillon Counties, served by NETC to talk with their school academic advisers to find out more about the dual credit online courses offered by NETC. “Taking online courses through the NETC, has helped boost my GPA and has helped me achieve higher academic standards, that will help me secure academic scholarships to colleges,” said Bethea. “I would encourage all my fellow students in the area to take dual credit online courses of their choice through NETC. The program has been of great benefit to me personally.”
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