Yesterday, CoSIDA announced the First, Second, and Third Team honorees for the Division 2 Academic All-American Team.
Similar to other divisions, swimmers in D2 dominate the list, representing the largest amount of athletes in one sport at an impressive 29 students. Tennis had the second largest population with 20 athletes on the list, and golf followed with 16.
The highlight award of Academic All-American of the Year went to Seattle Pacific University’s star gymnast Maria Hundley on the women’s side. For the men, the award went to senior swimmer Keith Sponsler of Missouri University of Science and Technology. Sponsler achieved a 3.92 GPA in nuclear engineering and was also selected to be a First Team Academic All-American last year.
The women’s First Team list is comprised half of swimmers with extremely high GPAs. Nancy Claire Smith of Carson-Newman made Second Team with a 4.0 GPA in chemistry, along with two swimmers from Clarion.
Most of the swimmers are on the list for the first time, but some have won this honor before. First Team honorees Hannah Loesch of Wayne State and Hannah Mattar of Ashland were both Academic All-Ameircans in 2015. This year marks Elly Maleski‘s third time on the list, this year as a Second Team member.
The men’s First Team list is also made up of 7 swimmers, many of whom are multiple-time honorees. Matheus Assis and Gianni Ferrero were Academic All-Americans last year, and this year makes three wins for Sponsler. Many of the swimmers, however, appear on the list for the first time, including Second Team honorees Chris Eckard and Brennan Mays.
The full results can be viewed below:
Women’s Honorees
| Sport | Name | School | Yr. | Hometown | GPA | Major |
| Swimming | Monica Amaral | West Florida | Jr. | Rio De Janeiro, Brazil | 3.96 | Building Construction |
| Swimming | Vika Arkhipova | Wingate | Sr. | Seversk, Russia | 3.9 | Marketing |
| Field Hockey | Kayla Bixler | Millersville | Sr. | Holtwood, Pa. | 3.98 | Chemistry |
| Tennis | Rebecca Bruning (2) | Anderson (S.C.) | Jr. | Athens, Ga. | 4 | Biological & Biomedical Sciences |
| Swimming | Thalie Carmigniani | Lynn | Sr. | Tours, France | 3.99 | Bus. Admin. (U) / Fin. Valuation & |
| Golf | Marie Coors (2) | Saint Leo | Jr. | Gross-Zimmern, Germany | 4 | Economics |
| Tennis | Diana Cotoros | West Virginia State | Sr. | Chisinau, Moldova | 4 | Business Management |
| Swimming | Kelsey Gouge | Florida Southern | Sr. | Snellville, Ga. | 3.89 | Sports Management |
| Ice Hockey | Nicole Hensley (2) (%) | Lindenwood | Sr. | Lakewood, Colo. | 4 | Exercise Science |
| Gymnastics | Maria Hundley (1) (@) | Seattle Pacific | Sr. | Littleton, Colo. | 3.7 | Psychology |
| Tennis | Patricia Husakova | Northeastern State | Sr. | Trencin, Slovakia | 3.94 | Health & Human Performance |
| Swimming | Hannah Loesch (3) | Wayne State (Mich.) | Sr. | Pensacola, Fla. | 3.89 | English (Honors) |
| Swimming | Hannah Mattar (1) | Ashland | Sr. | Lake Orion, Mich. | 3.98 | Hospitality Management |
| Swimming | Rebecca Matthews | Lynn | Gr. | Montpellier, France | 3.92 | Applied Psych. (MS) / MBA / Sports |
| Golf | Kasey Petty | Findlay | Sr. | Groveport, Ohio | 3.91 | Early Childhood Education |
| SECOND TEAM | ||||||
| Sport | Name | School | Yr. | Hometown | GPA | Major |
| Skiing | Nichole Bathe | Alaska Fairbanks | Jr. | Madison, Wis. | 3.76 | Elementary Education |
| Tennis | Jamie Lee Denton | St. Mary’s (Texas) | Sr. | San Angelo, Texas | 3.95 | English |
| Tennis | Marija Dimitrovska (3) | Texas A&M-Kingsville | Sr. | Skopje, Macedonia | 4 | Industrial Management |
| Golf | Caroline Fredensborg | Arkansas Tech | So. | Roskilde, Denmark | 4 | Broadcast Journalism |
| Tennis | Franziska Funke | Tusculum | So. | Bochum, Germany | 4 | Psychology |
| Tennis | Saioa Gomez De Segura | Mercyhurst | So. | Vitoria, Spain | 4 | Business |
| Lacrosse | Jacqueline Jahelka | Adelphi | Jr. | Garden City, N.Y. | 3.84 | Education |
| Golf | Calley Lawson (3) | Tusculum | Sr. | Gaithersburg, Md. | 4 | Elementary Education / Special Edu. |
| Tennis | Cristina Lopez (3) | St. Mary’s (Texas) | Sr. | San Antonio, Texas | 3.88 | Accounting |
| Swimming | Elly Maleski (2) (@) | Wayne State (Mich.) | Sr. | Cedar, Mich. | 3.64 | Biomedical Engineering (Honors) |
| Water Polo | Courtney Miller (3) | UC San Diego | Sr. | Honolulu, Hawai’i | 3.79 | Cognitive Science (Neuroscience |
| Lacrosse | Maggie Monnat | Le Moyne | Sr. | Baldwinsville, N.Y. | 3.96 | Biology |
| Swimming | Lauren Slayton | Clarion | Sr. | White Lake, Mich. | 3.88 | Athletic Training |
| Swimming | Nancy Claire Smith | Carson-Newman | Jr. | Franklin, Tenn. | 4 | Chemistry |
| Swimming | Sarah Zerfoss | Clarion | Sr. | Shavertown, Pa. | 3.5 | Communications / PR |
| THIRD TEAM | ||||||
| Sport | Name | School | Yr. | Hometown | GPA | Major |
| Field Hockey | Anna Behm | Kutztown | Sr. | Kutztown, Pa. | 3.47 | Leisure & Sport Studies |
| Tennis | Marine Beugre-Guyot | Saint Leo | Jr. | Brou Sur Chantereine, France | 3.96 | Biology |
| Crew | Rosie Boncheva | Barry | Sr. | Sofia, Bulgaria | 3.7 | Psychology |
| Swimming | Jaimie Bryan | UC San Diego | Jr. | Paradise Valley, Ariz. | 3.6 | Physiology / Neuroscience |
| Field Hockey | Molly Cuevas | Adelphi | Sr. | San Jose, Calif. | 3.71 | Sport Management |
| Golf | Mikaela Hadaway | Wingate | Jr. | Kettering, Ohio | 4 | Psychology |
| Lacrosse | Bridget Hufnagel | Millersville | Sr. | Lancaster, Pa. | 3.8 | Social Work |
| Tennis | Lindsay Nochowicz | Midwestern State | Sr. | Powder Springs, Ga. | 4 | Economics |
| Golf | Becky Koepp | SW Minnesota State | Sr. | Belle Plaine, Minn. | 4 | Exercise Science |
| Gymnastics | Christine Liautaud | Bridgeport | Jr. | Cary, Ill. | 3.88 | Business Administration |
| Field Hockey | Sarah Morse | Stonehill | Jr. | Westminster, Mass. | 3.76 | Finance |
| Field Hockey | Ally Roth | East Stroudsburg | Sr. | Scotrun, Pa. | 3.5 | Exercise Science |
| Swimming | Rikki Sargent | Shippensburg | Sr. | Olney, Md. | 3.98 | Psychology (Honors Program) |
| Swimming | Dari Watkins | UC San Diego | Sr. | Seal Beach, Calif. | 3.39 | Psychology |
| Tennis | Jill Wetmore | Lewis | Sr. | Ottawa, Ill. | 4 | Air Traffic Ctrl & Transport Mgmt. |
Men’s Honorees
| Sport | Name | School | Yr. | Hometown | GPA | Major |
| Swimming | Matheus Assis (2) | Saint Leo | Sr. | João Pessoa, Brazil | 3.86 | Management & Marketing |
| Wrestling | Corbin Bennetts (1) ( | Western State | Gr. | Buena Vista, Colo. | 3.96 | Biology (U)/Environ. Mgmt. (G) |
| Swimming | Micah Cattell | Edinboro | Sr. | Port Matilda, Pa. | 4 | Early Education / Special Education |
| Swimming | Michael Cohn | UC San Diego | Jr. | Solana Beach, Calif. | 3.97 | Music |
| Skiing | Michael Fehrenbach | Alaska Fairbanks | Jr. | Saint Margen, Germany | 4 | Mechanical Engineering |
| Swimming | Gianni Ferrero (1) | Grand Valley State | Sr. | Idstein, Germany | 3.83 | Business Administration |
| Swimming | Diego Gimenez | Florida Southern | Jr. | Burgos, Spain | 3.9 | Computer Science/Economics & Finance |
| Golf | Brad Hawkins | Tusculum | Sr. | Knoxville, Tenn. | 3.6 | Sport Management |
| Golf | Calum Hill (3) | Western New Mexico | Sr. | Kinross, Scotland | 3.91 | Business Administration |
| Swimming | Evan Jacob | Saint Leo | Sr. | St. Johns, Fla. | 3.96 | Management |
| Tennis | Renato Lombardi (2) | Barry | Sr. | Lausanne, Switzerland | 3.9 | Finance |
| Skiing | Adam Martin | Northern Michigan | Jr. | Wausau, Wis. | 4 | Computer Science /Mathematics |
| Golf | Joey Savoie | Saint Leo | Jr. | Saint-Jean-Sur-Richelieu, | 3.9 | Accounting & Management |
| Swimming | Keith Sponsler (1) (@) | Missouri Science & Tech | Sr. | Lincoln, Neb. | 3.92 | Nuclear Engineering |
| Tennis | Ahmed Triki (3) | Barry | Jr. | Tunis, Tunisia | 3.41 | Finance |
| SECOND TEAM | ||||||
| Sport | Name | School | Yr. | Hometown | GPA | Major |
| Skiing | Sean Alexander | Alaska Anchorage | Sr. | Calgary, Alberta | 3.75 | Management & Economics |
| Wrestling | Adam Cooling | Minnesota State, Mankato | Jr. | Madelia, Minn. | 3.85 | Exercise Science |
| Golf | John Coultas | Florida Southern | So. | Valrico, Fla. | 3.76 | Business Administration |
| Golf | Robert Dofflemyer III (3) | Lewis | Sr. | Belvidere, Ill. | 3.94 | Air Traffic Control Management |
| Swimming | Chris Eckard | Malone | Sr. | Kurnach, Germany | 3.96 | Business Admin. & Accounting |
| Wrestling | Lukas Gilmore | Newberry | Jr. | Greenville, Mich. | 4 | Biology |
| Wrestling | Jon Inman | Fort Hays State | Jr. | Branson, Mo. | 3.85 | Justice Studies |
| Swimming | Brennan Mays | Colorado School of Mines | So. | Colorado Springs, Colo. | 4 | Petroleum Engineering |
| Golf | Ethan Peterson | West Texas A&M | Gr. | Clovis, N.M. | 3.93 | Finance & Economics |
| Tennis | Moritz Poswiat | King (Tenn.) | Jr. | Wuppertal, Germany | 3.98 | Accounting & Finance |
| Tennis | Tom Sizeland | Coker | Sr. | Hamilton, New Zealand | 4 | Biology (Pre-Med) |
| Golf | David Wachter | Anderson (S.C.) | Sr. | Hickory, N.C. | 4 | Business |
| Wrestling | Cole Wilson | SW Minnesota State | Gr. | Faribault, Minn. | 3.57 | Physical Education (U)/ Education (G) |
| Swimming | Drew Wolter (3) | Gannon | Jr. | Clarksville, Md. | 3.98 | Political Science |
| Tennis | Deni Zmak | Embry-Riddle (Fla.) | Sr. | Pula, Croatia | 3.58 | Software Engineering |
| THIRD TEAM | ||||||
| Sport | Name | School | Yr. | Hometown | GPA | Major |
| Golf | Matt Barto | Gannon | So. | Leechburg, Pa. | 3.96 | Mechanical Engineering |
| Tennis | Carlos Becke | Embry-Riddle (Fla.) | So. | Hildesheim, Germany | 4 | Business Administration |
| Swimming | Timothy Buff | Le Moyne | Jr. | Latham, N.Y. | 3.95 | Finance & Marketing |
| Swimming | Miguel Chavez | Missouri Science & Tech | Jr. | Chihuahua, Mexico | 3.54 | Mechanical Engineering |
| Swimming | Tim Collet | Malone | Sr. | Illingen, Germany | 3.92 | Business Administration |
| Swimming | Lucas Cuadros (2) | Wingate | Jr. | Cali, Colombia | 3.91 | Marketing |
| Fencing | Drew Dickinson | UC San Diego | Sr. | El Dorado Hills, Calif. | 3.88 | Biochemistry / Cell Biology |
| Golf | Nick Forsberg | Tusculum | Sr. | Staples, Minn. | 3.73 | Sport Management |
| Water Polo | David Maes | Fresno Pacific | Jr. | Clovis, Calif. | 3.87 | Mathematics |
| Golf | Zach Schuster | Tampa | Sr. | Norton, Mass. | 3.93 | Finance |
| Tennis | Per-Erik Soler | Queens (N.C.) | Sr. | Nice, France | 3.91 | Business |
| Swimming | Stefan Szilagyi | Shippensburg | Sr. | Bloomsburg, Pa. | 3.84 | Exercise Science (Honors Program) |
| Water Polo | Zlatko Vlasic | Fresno Pacific | Sr. | Zagreb, Croatia | 3.78 | Biology |
| Tennis | Jonas Winkelmann (3) | Tusculum | Sr. | Boblingen, Germany | 3.66 | Business Administration |
| Tennis | Justin Zhang | UC San Diego | So. | Irvine, Calif. | 3.87 | Human Biology |
Rolla FTW!
Congratulations Keith!