35 from PAC Named to Basketball Academic All-District® Teams

11 Advancing to Academic All-America® Consideration

3/28/2024 9:10:00 AM

TRAFFORD, Pa. (pacathletics.org) – The Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) placed 35 basketball student-athletes, including 22 women and 13 men, on the 2023-24 Academic All-District® Basketball Teams, as selected by College Sports Communicators (CSC).

Of those honored with Academic All-District® recognition, 11 of those student-athletes advance to the national ballot for Academic All-America® consideration, including eight on the women's side and three on the men's.

The 2023-24 Academic All-District® Basketball Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes basketball honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.

Academic All-District® honorees were considered for advancement to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. Student-athletes selected as CSC Academic All-America® finalists are denoted with an asterisk below and will advance to the national ballot to be voted on by CSC members. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced April 17, 2024.

To be eligible for CSC Academic All-District®, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically, hold a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or higher and be a standout on the field, competing in at least 90 percent of their team's games and starting at least 66 percent of their team's games.

Pacing PAC women's programs with four players earning Academic All-District® laurels were Allegheny College, Bethany College, Saint Vincent College and Westminster College. Franciscan University and Washington & Jefferson College had two apiece and Grove City College and Waynesburg University had one each on the list. Those moving onto the Academic All-American® ballot include three from Allegheny, two from Bethany and W&J and one from Grove City.

On the men's side, five programs had two each receive Academic All-District® accolades, including Allegheny, Bethany, Franciscan, Waynesburg and Westminster, while Grove City, Saint Vincent and W&J placed one each on the list. The Academic All-American® voting will have one player from Allegheny, Grove City and Saint Vincent in consideration.

In addition to their academic success, many of those honored were also standouts on the hardwood. A total of 11 were All-PAC performers in the winter, while four were named to the PAC Sportsmanship Team.

The complete list of student-athletes from the PAC to earn Academic All-District® laurels is below.
 
PAC Men's Basketball Academic All-District® honorees (13)
* = CSC Academic All-America® finalist (3)
1 = First Team All-PAC / 2 = Second Team / HM = Honorable Mention / S = Sportsmanship Team
Name School Year Hometown/High School
Luke Barker* Allegheny Jr. New Castle, Pa./Struthers (Ohio)
Preston Turk Allegheny Sr. New Castle, Pa./Neshannock
Cole Dailey (2) Bethany So. East Liverpool, Ohio/East Liverpool
Troy Hixson (S) Bethany So. Grove City, Ohio/Bishop Ready
Frank Bellissimo Franciscan So. New Smyrna Beach, Fla./New Smyrna Beach
Yann Yonkeu Franciscan Jr. Manchester, N.H./Holy Family Academy
Ben Cano* Grove City Jr. Greenville, Pa./Greenville
Dev Ostrowski* (2) Saint Vincent So. Niantic, Conn./East Lyme
Joshua Chambers W&J So. Hanover, Md./Indian Creek
Jansen Knotts Waynesburg Sr. Ridgeley, W.Va./Frankfort
Bryson Wilt Waynesburg Sr. Oakland, Md./Southern Garrett
Mick Hergenrother Westminster So. Canfield, Ohio/Cardinal Mooney
Reese Leone Westminster Sr. Beloit, Ohio/West Branch
 
PAC Women's Basketball Academic All-District® honorees (22)
* = CSC Academic All-America® finalist (8)
1 = First Team All-PAC / 2 = Second Team / HM = Honorable Mention / S = Sportsmanship Team
Name School Year Hometown/High School
Branygan Bianchin (S) Allegheny Sr. Wexford, Pa./North Allegheny
Jess Bickart* (2) Allegheny So. Cranberry Township, Pa./Seneca Valley
Emily Lauer* (1) Allegheny Jr. Knox, Pa./Keystone
Sarah Santicola* (2) Allegheny So. Moon Township, Pa./Moon Area
Lindsey Garrison* (1) Bethany Jr. Triadelphia, W.Va./Wheeling Park
Makenzee Mason* (HM) Bethany Sr. Lithopolis, Ohio/Bloom-Carroll
Bella Skobel Bethany Sr. Charleroi, Pa./Charleroi
Ashleigh Wheeler (S) Bethany Jr. Quaker City, Ohio/Shenandoah
Natalie Conner Franciscan Sr. Liberty Township, Ohio/Bishop Fenwick
Caroline Reedy Franciscan So. Bernville, Pa./Berks Catholic
Kat Goetz* (HM) Grove City Sr. Pittsburgh, Pa./Avonworth
Lizzie Bender Saint Vincent Sr. Twinsburg, Ohio/Gilmour Academy
Emily Thompson (HM) Saint Vincent Jr. Erie, Pa./Mercyhurst Prep
Madison Weber Saint Vincent Grad. Grampian, Pa./Curwensville
Alana Winkler (S) Saint Vincent Sr. Wexford, Pa./Vincentian Academy
Adalynn Cherry* (HM) W&J Jr. Altoona, Pa./Altoona Area
Meghan Dryburgh* (1) W&J Jr. Pittsburgh, Pa./Baldwin
Marley Wolf Waynesburg Sr. Ellwood City, Pa./Riverside
Katie Fitzpatrick Westminster Sr. Cumberland Center, Maine/Greely
Camden Hergenrother Westminster Grad. Salem, Ohio/Cardinal Mooney
Emily Hess Westminster Jr. Edinboro, Pa./General McLane
Mariah Vincent (S) Westminster Sr. Franklin, Pa./Kennedy Catholic