Northwestern University Football against Iowa November 10, 2018 in Iowa City, IA

Photo by: S. J. Carrera, Inc.

'Cats Set School Record with 118 Fall Academic All-Big Ten Honorees

12/5/2018 2:28:00 PM | Football, Men's Soccer, Women's Cross Country & Track, Women's Soccer, Women's Volleyball, Field Hockey, Academic Services & Student Development

EVANSTON, Ill. -- A school-record 118 Northwestern student-athletes representing six varsity programs have earned Academic All-Big Ten honors for the fall season, the Conference announced Wednesday.

The Wildcats' football program earned a record and Big Ten-best 60 honors, while field hockey tied for the highest mark in its sport with 15 honorees. In addition to field hockey, men's soccer and women's soccer both posted double-digit recipients. The 118 honorees represent nearly 73 percent of eligible Wildcats. Individually, Chad Hanaoka of football, and Madi Kennel and Nikia Smith from women's soccer were among 36 Big Ten student-athletes recognized for perfect 4.0 grade point averages.

"We ask our student-athletes to compete at the absolute highest level in the classroom, in the community and in competition, and the group continues to raise the bar academically," said Combe Family Vice President for Athletics & Recreation Jim Phillips. "You strive to begin every new year on a high note, and to see our fall teams earn record numbers of Academic All-Big Ten honors while also bringing home championships and All-America honors speaks directly to their commitment. This group of exceptional young men and women is making the Northwestern community proud in all areas."

Northwestern's total of 118 student-athletes ranks second in the Big Ten behind Michigan's 122 honorees, which sponsors one additional fall sport for a total of seven varsity programs. To earn Academic All-Big Ten distinction, an athlete must be in at least their second year at the institution and have a cumulative GPA of 3.0-or-better.

Northwestern student-athletes took home 227 Academic All-Big Ten awards in total last year. The 2017-18 academic year marked the eighth-straight in which the 'Cats have topped 200 total honors. The Office of Academic Services & Student Development is a vital force in supporting the athletic department's mission of providing a world-class academic experience for student-athletes, providing a comprehensive array of programs and services.

Instituted beginning in 2008-09, the conference office also will hand out the Distinguished Scholar Award at the end of the academic year. Student-athletes eligible for the Distinguished Scholar Award must be letter winners in at least their second year in residence at their institution. Qualifying student-athletes must have earned a GPA of 3.7 or higher for the current academic year, excluding summer school. The 3.7 GPA benchmark was designed to include the top 10 percent of all eligible student-athletes. The Big Ten Distinguished Scholar Award was established by conference Faculty Representatives as an addition to the conference's Academic All-Big Ten program.

Field Hockey (15)
Lakin Barry • So. • Communication Studies
Saar de Breij • Jr. • Political Science
Christen Conley • So. • Undeclared
Lily Gandhi • Jr. • Economics/Political Science
Erica Hootstein • Jr. • Statistics
Annie Kalfas • Sr. • Communication Studies
Mackenzie Keegan • So. Undeclared
Lily Katzman • Jr. • Journalism
Kirsten Mansfield • Jr. • Psychology
Florien Marcussen • So. • Undeclared
Puck Pentenga • Sr. • Biomedical Engineering
Eva van Agt • Sr. • Mathematics/Economics
Charlotte Vaziri • Sr. • History
Lucy Waterhouse • Sr. • Radio/TV/Film
Kaitlin Wood • So. • Undeclared

Football (59)
Chee Anyanwu • So. • Undeclared
Chris Bergin • So. • Undeclared
Joe Bergin • Sr. • Economics
Jalen Brown • Gr. • Sports Administration
Jesse Brown • Jr. • Mechanical Engineering
Brian Bullock • Jr. • Communication Studies
Roderick Campbell • Jr. • Radio/Television/Film
Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman • Jr. • Learning and Organizational Change
Tommy Doles • Gr. • Master of Management Studies
Eric Eshoo • Jr. • Learning and Organizational Change
Charlie Fessler • Sr. • Learning and Organizational Change
Paddy Fisher • Jr. • Learning and Organizational Change
Blake Gallagher • So. • Communication Studies
Joe Gaziano • Jr. • Communication Studies
Sam Gerak • So. • Undeclared
Tyler Gillikin • Jr. • Biological Sciences
Jango Glackin • Jr. • Learning and Organizational Change
Trent Goesn • Sr. • Economics
TJ Green • Sr. • Economics
Cody Gronewold • So. • Undeclared
Nate Hall • Gr. • Master of Management Studies
Chad Hanaoka • Gr. • Post Baccalaureate
Blake Hance • Gr. • Master of Management Studies
Montre Hartage • Sr. • Learning and Organizational Change
Austin Hiller • So. • Communication Studies
Berkeley Holman • So. • Radio/Television/Film
Troy Hudetz • So. • Undeclared
Bryce Jackson • So. • Undeclared
Trey Klock • Gr. • Sports Administration
Daniel Kubiuk • Gr. • Sports Administration
Jeremy Larkin • Jr. • Human Development and Psychology
Cody Link • Jr. • Communication Studies
Andrew Marty • So. • Undeclared
Alonzo Mayo • Sr. • Communication Studies
Kyric McGowan • So. • Learning and Organizational Change
Peter McIntyre • So. • Undeclared
Jesse Meyler • Jr. • Psychology
Alex Miller • Jr. • Learning and Organizational Change
Samdup Miller • So. • Communication Studies
Erik Mueller • So. • Undeclared
Flynn Nagel • Sr. • Economics
Alex Oelsner • So. • Undeclared
Ben Oxley • Gr. • Master of Management Studies
JR Pace • So. • Undeclared
James Prather • Gr. • Masters in Creative Writing
Jelani Roberts • Sr. • Mechanical Engineering
Jake Saunders • Jr. • Journalism
Donovan Sermons • So. • Undeclared
Bennett Skowronek • Jr. • Communication Studies
Rashawn Slater • So. • Undeclared
Aidan Smith • Jr. • Communication Studies
Peter Snodgrass • So. • Undeclared
Joe Spivak • So. • Communication Studies
Jared Thomas • Sr. • Communication Studies
Clayton Thorson • Sr. • Communication Studies
Jackson Tirmonia • Jr. • Economics
Travis Whillock • Jr. • Learning and Organizational Change
Ethan Wiederkehr • So. • Undeclared
Fred Wyatt • Gr. • Master of Management Studies

Cross Country (9)
Amanda Davis • So. • Psychology
Grace Kelly • Sr. • Biomedical Engineering
Ashley Ko • Sr. • Human Development and Psychology
Sarah Nicholson • Jr. • Economics
Kelly O'Brien • Jr. • Social Policy
Mary Orders • Sr. • Journalism
Jazmine Reyes • Jr. • Journalism
Aubrey Roberts • Jr. • Journalism
Isabel Seidel • Gr. • Master of Management Studies

Men's Soccer (14)
Camden Buescher • Sr. • Communication Studies
Emmett Gordon • Sr. • Communication Studies
Spencer Howard • So. • Undeclared
Sean Lynch • Jr. • Economics
Andrew McLeod • Jr. • Economics
Ben Miller • Sr. • Economics
John Moderwell • Gr. • Data Science
Matt Moderwell • Jr. • Computer Science
Garrett Opperman • So. • Undeclared
Jake Roberge • Sr. • Economics
Ty Seager • Jr. • Communication Studies
Braden Thuraisingham • Sr. • Communication Studies
Drew Viscomi • So. • Undeclared
Robbie White • Sr. • Communication Studies

Women's Soccer (12)
Michele Chernesky • Sr. • Psychology
Hannah Davison • Sr. • Human Development and Psychology
Abby Dein • Jr. • Economics
Kylie Fisher • So. • Undeclared
Jenny Haskel • Sr. • Journalism/Economics
Madi Kennel • So. • Undeclared
Aspyn Repp • Sr. • Economics
Kayla Sharples • Sr. • Communication Studies
Nikia Smith • Gr. • Sports Administration
Kayleigh Stahlschmidt • So. • Undeclared
Regan Steigleder • So. • Undeclared
Marisa Viggiano • Sr. • Communication Studies

Volleyball (9)
Britt Bommer • So. • Earth & Planetary Sciences
Emily Ehman • Jr. • Journalism
Sarah Johnson • Jr. • Economics
Allie Lindroth • Jr. • Human Development and Psychology
Lexi Pitsas • So. • Undeclared
Nia Robinson • So. • Undeclared
Olivia Viscuso • Jr. • Neuroscience
Amy Wang • So. • Undeclared
Ivey Whalen • So. • Journalism

••••••

Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook, check us out on Instagram, visit our Social Media page and download our mobile app from the Apple Store and Google Play! To get involved with the #B1GCats, become a season-ticket holder or join the Wildcat Fund!