Zach Schuster Becomes First Men’s Golf Academic All-American Since 1987
Joins all-time great Jeff Leonard as lone golf Academic All-Americans.
AUSTIN, Texas – University of Tampa men's golfer Zach Schuster was named a third-team Academic All-American, becoming the first men's golfer since Jeff Leonard in 1986 and 1987 to earn the accolade.
Missouri University of Science and Technology senior swimmer Keith Sponsler and Seattle Pacific University gymnast Maria Hundley headline the 2016 Academic All-America® Division II Men's and Women's At-Large teams as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Schuster, who graduated with a degree in finance, concluded his collegiate career with a 3.94 GPA. The four-year letterwinner averaged a 77.33 in 30 rounds as a senior. He also finished his UT career with one top-five finish and three top-10 efforts.
Sponsler and Hundley are the Academic All-America® of the Year for their respective teams.
The Academic All-America® program is being financially supported by the NCAA Division II national governance structure to assist CoSIDA with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2015-16 Division II Academic All-America® teams program.
The at-large program for the CoSIDA Academic All-America® program includes the sports of fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming and diving, tennis, water polo for both men and women; bowling, crew and field hockey for women; and volleyball and wrestling for men.
Eleven men and 11 women are repeat performers on this year's at-large teams.
A native of Lincoln, Nebraska, Sponsler is the only three-time CoSIDA Academic All-America® on the 2016 Division II Men's At-Large team. He made the second team as a sophomore and garnered first team laurels his junior and senior campaigns. In the classroom, Sponsler is a nuclear engineering major with a 3.92 G.P.A.
Sponsler won the Great Lakes Valley Conference's Richard F. Scharf Paragon Award in May. This honor is awarded annually to the top male and female student-athletes in the league. During his career, Sponsler earned 17 All-American swimming honors. As senior, he won five GLVC championships and five All-American trophies. Sponsler received All-American distinctions in each of his four seasons.
The Seattle Pacific Female Athlete of the Year, Hundley is one of three 2016 Academic All-America® Division II Women's At-Large team members who receives their third CoSIDA Academic All-America® honor. Hundley was a second team member in 2014, earning first team distinction the last two years. She holds a 3.70 G.P.A. with her psychology major.
Hundley won the all-around and vault national titles at the 2016 USA Gymnastics Collegiate Championships conducted April 8-10 in St. Charles, Missouri. With these two titles, she increased her career total to seven national championships to tie the NCAA Division II record. She won the uneven bars and balance beams events in 2015 after winning those two events along with the vault in 2014.
Western State Colorado University graduate student wrestler Corbin Bennetts and Grand Valley State University senior swimmer Gianni Ferrero join Sponsler as returning first team selections. Bennetts also was named to the first team in 2014.
Bennetts is an environmental management graduate student at Western. He holds a 3.96 G.P.A. He is the RMAC Academic Wrestler of the Year and the National Wrestling Hall of Fame Colorado Chapter College Wrestler of the Year. A two-time winner of the NCAA Division II Wrestling Elite 90 Award, Bennetts was fourth at the 2016 NCAA championship meet (141-pound) and second at the 2015 NCAA event.
Ferrero has a 3.83 G.P.A. with his business administration major. He won the 2016 NCAA Division II national championship in the 100 Butterfly, collecting a total of six All-American honors during his visit to Indianapolis. The 2016 GLIAC Swimmer of the Year, Ferraro won four individual events during his final campaign. He matches Sponsler with 17 career All-American swimming honors.
Three seniors and one junior move up to the 2016 Academic All-America® Division II Men's At-Large first team after making either the second or the third team in 2015. Saint Leo University senior swimmer Matheus Assis and Barry University senior tennis player Renato Lombardi make the move from the 2015 second team, while Western New Mexico University senior golfer Calum Hill and Barry junior tennis player Ahmed Triki jump from the 2015 third team.
Assis holds a 3.86 G.P.A. with a double major in management and marketing. At the 2016 NCAA meet, he received five All-American honors. Assis qualified for NCAAs four times, garnering two All-American trophies in 2015.
A 2016 NCAA Division II All-American in doubles, Lombardi paired with Triki to compile a 13-2 overall record in the always-tough South Region. Lombardi has a 3.90 G.P.A. with a finance major.
Triki took his game one step higher, garnering All-American distinction in both singles and doubles. He was 15-0 in singles this year, marking the second straight season he has not lost a singles match. Academically, Triki has a 3.41 G.P.A. in finance.
Hill finished second (as an individual) in the 2016 NCAA Division II national golf tournament. He shot an 11-under 205, only two strokes behind the individual champion. An All-American on the course and in the classroom, Hill has a 3.91 G.P.A. with his business administration major.
Two veteran CoSIDA Academic All-America® picks earn spots on the 2016 men's at-large second team: Lewis University senior golfer Robert Dofflemyer III and Gannon University junior swimmer Drew Wolter. Dofflemyer earns second team honors for the second straight year, while Wolter slides from the 2015 third team to the 2016 second team.
Dofflemyer is an air traffic control management major who owns a 3.94 G.P.A. He has helped Lewis compete in four consecutive NCAA tournaments. Dofflemyer posted a round of 65 in October, tying for the best single round in program history. During his career, Wolter earned All-PSAC honors 19 times. He holds a 3.98 G.P.A. with his political science major.
Tusculum College senior tennis player Jonas Winkelmann and Wingate University junior swimmer Lucas Cuadros complete the list of the repeat selections on the 2016 CoSIDA Academic All-America® Division II Men's At-Large teams. Both student-athletes find a spot on the third team. Winkelmann made the third team in 2015, while Cuadros was a second team choice last year.
The 2016 South Atlantic Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year for men's tennis, Winkelmann was a four-year All-SAC performer on the courts. He was a big reason Tusculum posted a 37-5 league record and earned two SAC team titles during his career. Academically, he has a 3.66 G.P.A. with a business administration major. Winkelmann's older brother Lukas was a three-time first team CoSIDA Academic All-America® selection.
Cuadros earned All-Bluegrass Mountain Conference laurels in four events this season as Wingate claimed second place at the BMC event. A two-time NCAA national championship meet qualifier, Cuadros helped the Bulldogs finish 16th at the 2016 season-ending competition. In the classroom, Cuadros has a 3.91 G.P.A. with a marketing major and an entrepreneurship minor.
The rest of the 2016 CoSIDA Academic All-America® Men's At-Large first team includes Micah Cattell (swimming) of Edinboro University, Michael Cohn (swimming) of the University of California, San Diego, Michael Fehrenbach (skiing) of University of Alaska Fairbanks, Diego Gimenez (swimming) of Florida Southern College, Brad Hawkins (golf) of Tusculum, Evan Jacob (swimming) and Joey Savoie (golf) of Saint Leo, and Adam Martin (skiing) of Northern Michigan University.
The remainder of the second team is comprised of Sean Alexander (skiing) of the University of Alaska Anchorage, Adam Cooling (wrestling) of Minnesota State University, Mankato, John Coultas (golf) of Florida Southern, Chris Eckard (swimming) of Malone University, Lukas Gilmore (wrestling) of Newberry College, Jon Inman (wrestling) of Fort Hays State University, Brennan Mays (swimming) of the Colorado School of Mines, Ethan Peterson (golf) of West Texas A&M University, Moritz Poswait (tennis) of King (Tenn.) University, Tom Sizeland (tennis) of Coker College, David Wachter (golf) of Anderson (S.C.) University, Cole Wilson (wrestling) of Southwestern Minnesota State University and Deni Zmak (tennis) of Embry-Riddle (Fla.) University.
The rest of the third team includes Matt Barto (golf) of Gannon, Carlos Becke (tennis) of Embry-Riddle (Fla.), Timothy Buff (swimming) of Le Moyne College , Miguel Chavez (swimming) of Missouri Science and Technology, Tim Collet (swimming) of Malone, Drew Dickinson (fencing) and Justin Zhang (tennis) of UC San Diego, Nick Forsberg (golf) of Tusculum, David Maes (water polo, Stefan Szilagyi (water polo) and Zlatko Vlasic (water polo) of Fresno Pacific University, Zach Schuster (golf) of the University of Tampa, and Per-Erik Soler (tennis) of Queens (N.C.) University.
The 2016 CoSIDA Academic All-America® Division II Women's At-Large first team includes six returning performers. Lindenwood University senior ice hockey player Nicole Hensley joins Hundley as a three-time honoree. Hensley made the third team as a sophomore, the second team as a junior and the first team as a senior. She earned all-conference honors for the fourth time this year, receiving first team All-CHA distinction. Hensley was a member of the gold medal-winning Team USA at the recent World Championships. Academically, she has a perfect 4.00 G.P.A. with her exercise science major.
Ashland University senior swimmer Hannah Mattar concludes her career with back-to-back CoSIDA Academic All-America® first team trophies. She won the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Commissioner's Award in April. Mattar was Ashland's lone representative at the 2015 and the 2016 NCAA Division II national championship meet. Mattar posted three top-19 finishes in NCAA individual competition as a senior. She has a 3.98 G.P.A. in hospitality management.
Anderson (S.C.) junior tennis standout Rebecca Bruning made the second team last year before taking the leap to first team this season. A second team All-SAC performer in both singles and doubles, Bruning has a 4.00 G.P.A. as a biological and bio-medical sciences major. She concluded the regular season with a number 45 national ranking in singles play. She enters her senior season with 45 career singles victories.
Saint Leo junior women's golf All-American Marie Coors follows the same path as Bruning, as she was named to the Academic All-America® second team last year. The two-time second team WGCA All-American completed the season with a team-best 75.03 stroke average. She was the Sunshine State Conference individual champion for the second time in her career. In the classroom, Coors holds a 4.00 G.P.A. while studying economics.
Wayne State (Mich.) University senior swimmer Hannah Loesch rounds out the six Academic All-America® returnees on the first team. Loesch makes the biggest jump, as she was a third team selection in 2015. She was a four-time All-American at the 2016 NCAA Swimming and Diving national championship meet. In her final GLIAC meet, she won four league titles in February. The 2016 GLIAC Commissioner's Award recipient garnered nine All-American honors during her career. Academically, Loesch has a 3.89 G.P.A. with her English major.
Loesch's senior swimming teammate Elly Maleski is the final three-time Academic All-America®. She is one of five veterans on the second team. Maleski completes her career with three second team nods. The biomedical engineering major has a 3.64 G.P.A. In the pool, she was a three-time All-American at the 2016 NCAA Swimming and Diving national championship meet. Maleski earned two relay gold medals in February's GLIAC meet. She finished in the top seven in six GLIAC championship events.
Four seniors complete the returning student-athletes on the 2016 CoSIDA Academic All-America® Division II Women's At-Large second team: Texas A&M University-Kingsville tennis player Marija Dimitrovska, Tusculum golfer Calley Lawson, St. Mary's (Texas) University tennis player Cristina Lopez and UC San Diego water polo player Courtney Miller. Each member of the quartet made the third team in 2015.
Dimitrovska is her school's all-time leader in singles wins with 43. She also holds the record for single season match wins at 28. She earned three Lone Star Conference singles awards in her Texas A&M-Kingsville career. She has a perfect 4.00 G.P.A. with her industrial management major.
Lawson averaged 84.2 strokes per round for the Pioneers, participating in eight of nine 2015-16 tournaments. She tied for 12th place in the Pioneer Classic. Lawson sports a 4.00 G.P.A. while pursuing a double major of elementary education and special education.
Lopez helped St. Mary's win four Heartland Conference championships during her tenure. The Rattlers made three consecutive NCAA Division II national tournament appearances as well. The Heartland Conference's Outstanding Senior of the Year received All-American doubles' laurels in 2015. Lopez has a 3.88 G.P.A. as an accounting major.
Miller earned her fourth consecutive first team All-American trophy from the Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches this year. She ends her career as the school's all-time saves leader with 1465. The 2016 WWPA tournament MVP has a 3.79 G.P.A. with her cognitive science (neuroscience emphasis) major.
The rest of the 2016 CoSIDA Academic All-America® Women's At-Large first team includes Monica Amaral (swimming) of the University of West Florida, Vika Arkhipova (swimming) of Wingate, Kayla Bixler (field hockey) of Millersville University, Thalie Carmigniani (swimming) and Rebecca Matthews (swimming) of Lynn University, Diana Cotoros (tennis) of West Virginia State University, Kelsey Gouge (swimming) of Florida Southern, Patricia Husakova (tennis) of Northeastern State University, and Kasey Petty (golf) of the University of Findlay.
The remainder of the second team is comprised of Nichole Bathe (skiing) of Alaska Fairbanks, Jamie Lee Denton (tennis) of St. Mary's (Texas), Caroline Fredensborg (golf) of Arkansas Tech University, Franziska Funke (tennis) of Tusculum, Saioa Gomez de Segura (tennis) of Mercyhurst University, Jacqueline Jahelka (lacrosse) of Adelphi University, Maggie Monnat (lacrosse) of Le Moyne, Lauren Slayton (swimming) and Sarah Zerfoss (swimming) of Clarion University, and Nancy Claire Smith (swimming) of Carson-Newman University.
The third team includes Anna Behm (field hockey) of Kutztown University, Marine Beugre-Guyot (tennis) of Saint Leo, Rosie Boncheva (crew) of Barry, Jaimie Bryan (swimming) and Dari Watkins (swimming) of UC San Diego, Molly Cuevas (field hockey) of Adelphi, Mikaela Hadaway (golf) of Wingate, Bridget Hufnagel (lacrosse) of Millersville, Lindsay Nochowicz (tennis) of Midwestern State University, Becky Koepp (golf) of Southwest Minnesota State, Christine Liautaud (gymnastics) of the University of Bridgeport, Sarah Morse (field hockey) of Stonehill College, Ally Roth (field hockey) of East Stroudsburg University, Rikki Sargent (swimming) of Shippensburg University, and Jill Wetmore (tennis) of Lewis.
Twenty-two (14 women, eight men) on the CoSIDA Academic All-America Division II At-Large Teams have a 4.00 G.P.A. The CoSIDA Academic All-America® Division II Women's At-Large First Team had an overall 3.93 G.P.A. while the CoSIDA Academic All-America® Division II Men's At-Large First Team had an overall 3.87 G.P.A.
FIRST TEAM
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. 4.00 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 4.00 Mechanical Engineering
Swimming Gianni Ferrero (1) Grand Valley State Sr. Idstein, Germany 3.83 Business Administration
Swimming Diego Gimenez Florida Southern Jr. Burgos, Spain 3.90 Computer Science/Economics &
Finance
Golf Brad Hawkins Tusculum Sr. Knoxville, Tenn. 3.60 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 3.90 Finance
Skiing Adam Martin Northern Michigan Jr. Wausau, Wis. 4.00 Computer Science /Mathematics
Golf Joey Savoie Saint Leo Jr. Saint-Jean-Sur-Richelieu,
Quebec 3.90 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. 4.00 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. 4.00 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 4.00 Biology (Pre-Med)
Golf David Wachter Anderson (S.C.) Sr. Hickory, N.C. 4.00 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 4.00 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
Academic All-America® of the Year: Keith Sponsler, Missouri Science & Tech
(1) - CoSIDA Academic All-America®) First Team selection in 2015
(2) - CoSIDA Academic All-America® Second Team selection in 2015
(3) - CoSIDA Academic All-America® Third Team selection in 2015
(!) – CoSIDA Academic All-America® First Team selection in 2014
(@) - CoSIDA Academic All-America® Second Team selection in 2014