COUGARS HIT THE BOOKS:
ACADEMIC HONORS ABOUND FOR SPRING STUDENT-ATHLETES
NCAA Division II represents academics and athletics in a balance: The competitions are important, but academics have at least equal prominence as the division celebrates its 50th anniversary in 2023. With that in mind, achievements in the classroom are measured with awards at the national, regional and conference levels and, as usual, Caldwell’s student-athletes were up to the task and feted accordingly.
Most recently, the Division II Athletic Directors Association produced its list of Academic Achievement Awards, and the Cougars ranked near the top of the region with 84 total awards, including eight who claimed the honor in multiple sports. That designation covered the entire 2022-23 academic year, though it did not include acrobatics & tumbling and sprint football student-athletes as it is limited to sports in which Caldwell competes in Division II.
SPRING HONORS ABOUNDED AS EVERY SQUAD HAD NUMEROUS ATHLETES EARNING AWARDS:
ACROBATICS & TUMBLING: Seven Cougars gained National Collegiate Acrobatics & Tumbling Association Academic Honor Roll status, including Arianna Ardilla (3.48 GPA, nursing), Rosemary Castaneda (3.76, criminal justice), Baylie Daniels (3.83, biology), Isabella Garcia (3.32, business administration), Mickennah Lanza (3.95, biology), Jill Riggio (4.00, psychology) and Britney Solano (3.45, nursing).
BASEBALL: Michael Deusch (3.85, business administration), Ryan Opak (3.57, business administration), Zach Saunders (3.51, sport management), Brandon Scalisi (3.90, criminal justice) and Connor Woods (3.70, financial economics) were named to the CACC All-Academic Team. Saunders, Scalisi, Woods, Waldy Arias (3.50, sport management) and Kyle Richards (3.50, MBA) were selected to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) All-District team. Opak, Saunders, Scalisi and Woods were joined by Deusch on the CACC All-Academic Team.
WOMEN’S LACROSSE: Three Cougars qualified for the IWLCA Division II Academic Honor Roll: Caroline Hastings (3.69, psychology), Kelsey Maxwell (3.90, healthcare administration) and Reese Sherwood (3.66, nursing). The trio also were selected to the CACC Women’s Lacrosse All-Academic Team. In addition, graduate attacker Emily Lasko was chosen to the CSC Academic All-District team.
MEN’S LACROSSE: Five Cougars were selected to the CACC All-Academic Team: Cory Barrera (3.70, accounting), Matthew Bronico (3.61, elementary education/social studies), Angelo Drake (3.73, exercise science), Nicholas Mele (3.53, communications) and Shane Murphy (3.79, communications/ business administration).
SOFTBALL: Primary among the many honors gained by the softball squad were selections to the CSC Academic All-District team for Courtney Grundhauser (3.66, nursing), Maya Rodriguez (3.85, criminal justice/sociology/psychology), Emma Cooney (3.55, English/criminal justice), Madison Burns (3.68, MA, counseling) and Kayla Daly (3.65, MBA). The CACC All-Academic Team featured Grundhauser, Rodriguez, Cooney, Brooke Martin (3.92, biology), Paige Silvia (3.80, biology), Allison Winters (3.61, criminal justice), Taylor Mischler (3.60, criminal justice) and Chloe Pocceschi (3.57, nursing).
WOMEN’S TRACK AND FIELD: Nine Caldwell student-athletes were named to the CACC All-Academic Team: Kalya Baca (3.58, criminal justice), Shamica Carey (3.80, accounting), Sonia Casiano (3.67, criminal justice), Ana Gonzalez Martin (4.00, business administration), KJ Gordon (3.51, sport management), Suzanne Hamzah (3.67, biology), Gabriela Lopez (3.77, health science), Sabina Neupane (3.82, accounting/ mathematics) and Jalisa Smith (3.62, criminal justice).
MEN’S TRACK AND FIELD: Ervin Chaush (3.91, psychology), Rayhan Issah (3.80, accounting) and Alfredo Oidor (3.70, psychology) were named to the CSC Academic All-District Men’s Track and Field Team. The trio, plus Alex Geddes (3.93, accounting/financial economics), Anthony Gola (3.64, communications) and Devin Males (3.75, criminal justice), earned CACC All-Academic Team honors.
Softball’s Grundhauser and track and field’s Gonzalez Martin were also the Caldwell nominees for NCAA Woman of the Year, an honor for which academic success and community service weigh heavily in the selection process. And, in May, bowler Rhianna Smith (3.95, criminal justice) was selected to the CSC Academic All-District At-Large Team. 🟥
— Jerry Milani
