'Cats Lead B1G with School-Record 127 Fall Academic Honorees

'Cats Lead B1G with School-Record 127 Fall Academic Honorees

12/11/2019 3:35:00 PM | Football, Men's Soccer, Women's Cross Country & Track, Women's Soccer, Women's Volleyball, Field Hockey, Academic Services & Student Development

EVANSTON, Ill. — Northwestern led all Big Ten Conference institutions with a school-record 127 student-athletes earning Academic All-Big Ten honors for the fall season, the league office announced Wednesday.

"Year after year our Northwestern student-athletes exceed raised expectations in the classroom, while simultaneously giving back to the community and excelling in competition," said Combe Family Vice President for Athletics & Recreation Jim Phillips. "To shatter the school-record for Academic All-Big Ten honorees again, at a Top-10 university, is a testament to the culture these exceptional young men and women have built. The entire University community should be extremely proud of this group."

The Wildcats' 127 student-athletes, representing six varsity sports, topped the previous high of 118, which was set in the fall of 2018. The Northwestern football (57), men's soccer (15) and volleyball (13) programs each led their respective sports in total number of honorees. It was only the second time in program history that the Wildcats' football program surpassed the 50-honoree mark.

Field hockey had 16 recipients, which ranked second among Big Ten programs and was the most in program history since at least 2012. Northwestern women's cross country had 12 student-athletes earn the academic distinction, while women's soccer had 14 representatives.

For the first time since the award was instituted in 2008-09, all six programs tallied double-digit honorees, and it was the first time since 2016 that Northwestern has led the conference in total number of recipients.

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.

The fall Academic All-Big Ten announcement comes on the heels of a remarkable 2018-19 academic year with unprecedented marks in the classroom.

All 19 varsity programs combined to post a team grade point average of 3.41 in the spring quarter, while the average student-athlete GPA was a 3.40 – both are the highest marks on record for a single quarter. An amazing 83% of student-athletes finished the final quarter of the academic calendar with a GPA above 3.00, while 46 Wildcats finished with a perfect 4.0 GPA.

For the 2018-19 academic year, the average team grade point average was a record 3.383 and a school-record 265 student-athletes earned Academic All-Big Ten distinction.

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 by providing a comprehensive array of programs and services.

FIELD HOCKEY (16)

Lakin Barry	Northwestern	Sr.	Communication Studies	Chapel Hill, N.C.
Kayla Blas	Northwestern	So.	Mechanical Engineering	Pendleton, N.Y.
Christen Conley	Northwestern	Jr.	Economics	Oak Park, Ill.
Shannon Daley	Northwestern	So.	Economics	Sudbury, Mass.
Saar de Breij	Northwestern	Sr.	Political Science	Utrecht, The Netherlands
Katie Esselman	Northwestern	Sr.	Neuroscience	Louisville, Ky.
Lily Gandhi	Northwestern	Sr.	Economics	London, England
Erica Hootstein	Northwestern	Sr.	Statistics	Wayland, Mass.
Casey Joye	Northwestern	So.	Undeclared	Los Altos, Calif.
Lily Katzman	Northwestern	Sr.	Journalism	St. Louis, Mo.
Mackenzie Keegan	Northwestern	Jr.	Human Communication Sciences	Delran, N.J.
Shannon Lackey	Northwestern	So.	Chemical Engineering	Fleetwood, Pa.
Kirsten Mansfield	Northwestern	Gr.	Psychology	West Chester, Pa.
Florien Marcussen	Northwestern	Jr.	Environmental Sciences	Soest, The Netherlands
Maren Seidel	Northwestern	So.	Undeclared	Cologne, Germany
Kaitlin Wood	Northwestern	Jr.	Communication Studies	Weston, Mass.

FOOTBALL (57)

Drake Anderson	Northwestern	So.	Undeclared	Chandler, Ariz.
Chris Bergin	Northwestern	Jr.	Economics	Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
Joe Bergin	Northwestern	Sr.	Economics	Bloomfield Hills, Mich.
Willy Boatman	Northwestern	So.	Undeclared	Denver, Colo.
Jesse Brown	Northwestern	Sr.	Mechanical Engineering	Lilburn, Ga.
Brian Bullock	Northwestern	Jr.	Communication Studies	Round Rock, Texas
Roderick Campbell	Northwestern	Sr.	Communication Studies / African American Studies	St. Louis, Mo.
Ramaud Chiaokhiao-Bowman	Northwestern	Sr.	Learning And Organizational Change	Minneapolis, Minn.
Paddy Fisher	Northwestern	Sr.	Learning And Organizational Change	Katy, Texas
Blake Gallagher	Northwestern	Jr.	Communication Studies	Raynham, Mass.
Joe Gaziano	Northwestern	Gr.	Communication Studies	Scituate, Mass.
Sam Gerak	Northwestern	Jr.	Biological Sciences	Avon, Ohio
Tyler Gillikin	Northwestern	Sr.	Biological Sciences	Atlanta, Ga.
Trent Goens	Northwestern	Gr.	Economics / Business Institutions	Chino Hills, Calif.
Jason Goosen	Northwestern	Jr.	Undeclared	Virginia Beach, Va.
TJ Green	Northwestern	Gr.	Economics / Business Institutions	Leawood, Kan.
Cody Gronewold	Northwestern	Jr.	Economics	Lincoln, Neb.
Payne He'Bert	Northwestern	So.	Undeclared	Pearland, Texas
Berkeley Holman	Northwestern	Jr.	Communication Studies	Irvine, Calif.
Troy Hudetz	Northwestern	Jr.	Communication Studies	Naperville, Ill.
Bryce Jackson	Northwestern	Jr.	Economics / Business Institutions	Lantana, Texas
JJ Jefferson	Northwestern	So.	Communication Studies	Houston, Texas
Hunter Johnson	Northwestern	Jr.	Communication Studies	Brownsburg, Ind.
Trevor Kent	Northwestern	Jr.	Learning And Organizational Change	Pittsburg, Kan.
Daniel Kubiuk	Northwestern	Gr.	Sports Administration	Barrington, Ill.
Charlie Kuhbander	Northwestern	Jr.	Communication Studies	Springboro, Ohio
Will Lansbury	Northwestern	Jr.	Learning And Organizational Change	Pebble Beach, Calif.
Riley Lees	Northwestern	Sr.	Learning And Organizational Change	Libertyville, Ill.
Cody Link	Northwestern	Sr.	Communication Studies	Madison, Wis.
Drew Luckenbaugh	Northwestern	Sr.	Computer Science	Spring Grove, Pa.
Andrew Marty	Northwestern	Jr.	Communication Studies	Cincinnati, Ohio
Kyric McGowan	Northwestern	Jr.	Learning And Organizational Change	Dalton, Ga.
Peter McIntyre	Northwestern	Jr.	Economics / Business Institutions	Perrysburg, Ohio
Jesse Meyler	Northwestern	Sr.	Psychology	Toronto, Ontario
Alex Miller	Northwestern	Sr.	Learning And Organizational Change	Houston, Texas
Samdup Miller	Northwestern	Jr.	Communication Studies	Houston, Texas
John Moten IV	Northwestern	Sr.	Learning And Organizational Change	St. Louis, Mo.
Erik Mueller	Northwestern	Jr.	Biological Sciences	Wheaton, Ill.
Greg Newsome II	Northwestern	So.	Communication Studies	Chicago, Ill.
Raymond Niro III	Northwestern	So.	Journalism	Barrington, Ill.
Devin O'Rourke	Northwestern	So.	Undeclared	Mokena, Ill.
Alex Oelsner	Northwestern	Jr.	Economics	Niow, Colo.
JR Pace	Northwestern	Jr.	Communication Studies	College Park, Ga.
Trey Pugh	Northwestern	Jr.	Learning And Organizational Change	Plain City, Ohio
Jaylen Rivers	Northwestern	So.	Learning And Organizational Change	Decatur, Ga.
Jake Saunders	Northwestern	Sr.	Journalism	Loveland, Ohio
Donovan Sermons	Northwestern	So.	Communication Studies	Pomona, Calif.
Charlie Schmidt	Northwestern	So.	Communication Studies	Libertyville, Ill.
Bennett Skowronek	Northwestern	Sr.	Communication Studies	Fort Wayne, Ind.
Rashawn Slater	Northwestern	Jr.	Communication Studies / Business Institutions	Sugar Land, Texas
Aidan Smith	Northwestern	Sr.	Communication Studies	Fort Wayne, Ind.
Peter Snodgrass	Northwestern	Jr.	Economics / Business Institutions	Palo Alto, Calif.
Joe Spivak	Northwestern	Jr.	Communication Studies	Darien, Ill.
Jared Thomas	Northwestern	Gr.	Journalism / African American Studies	Indianapolis, Ind.
Nik Urban	Northwestern	Sr.	Communication Studies	Willoughby, Ohio
Travis Whillock	Northwestern	Sr.	Learning And Organizational Change	Katy, Texas
Jason Whittaker	Northwestern	So.	Learning And Organizational Change	Rockford, Mich.

WOMEN'S CROSS COUNTRY (12)

Kelly O'Brien	Northwestern	Sr.	Social Policy	Palatine, Ill.
Amanda Davis	Northwestern	Jr.	Psychology/Science In Human Culture	Phoenix, Ariz.
Vanessa Garcia	Northwestern	So.	Undecided	Chicago, Ill.
Hannah Hall	Northwestern	So.	Journalism	Santa Ana, Calif.
Sielle Kearney	Northwestern	So.	Human Development And Psychological Services	Traverse City, Mich.
Rachel McCardell	Northwestern	So.	Computer Science	Bloomfield Village, Mich.
Sarah Nicholson	Northwestern	Sr.	Economics	Wildwood, Mo.
Jazmine Reyes	Northwestern	Sr.	Journalism/Political Science	Aurora, Ill.
Aubrey Roberts	Northwestern	Sr.	Neuroscience/Science In Human Culture	Eau Claire, Wis.
Sara Sara McCoy	Northwestern	So.	Neuroscience	Chicago, Ill.
Mary Schoonover	Northwestern	So.	Radio/Television/Film	Woodbury, Minn.
Olivia Verbeke	Northwestern	So.	Human Development And Psychological Services	Appleton, Wis.

MEN'S SOCCER (15)

Richie Bennett	Northwestern	So.	Biological Sciences	Carmel, Ind.
Jose Del Valle	Northwestern	So.	Undeclared	Madrid, Spain
Spencer Howard	Northwestern	Jr.	Learning & Organizational Change	Pacific Palisades, Calif
Sean Lynch	Northwestern	Sr.	Economics / Business Institutions	Naperville, Ill.
Bardia Kimiavi	Northwestern	So.	Learning & Organizational Change	Reston, Va.
Mac Mazzola	Northwestern	Sr.	Communication Studies	Chagrin Falls, Ohio
Connor McCabe	Northwestern	So.	Undeclared	Scottsdale, Ariz.
Andrew McLeod	Northwestern	Sr.	Economics / Business Institutions	Overland Park, Kan.
Matt Moderwell	Northwestern	Sr.	Computer Science	Lake Forest, Ill
Garrett Opperman	Northwestern	Jr.	Economics	Minneapolis, Minn.
Ty Seager	Northwestern	Sr.	Communication Studies/IMC	West Chicago, Ill.
Mattias Tomasino	Northwestern	Sr.	Communication Studies	Miami, Fla.
Drew Viscomi	Northwestern	Jr.	Human Development And Psychological Services	Lookout Mountain, Tenn.
Robbie White	Northwestern	Sr.	Communications Studies	Glen Ellyn, Ill.

Julian Zighelboim

Northwestern

So.

Undeclared

Coral Gables, Fla.

WOMEN'S SOCCER (14)

Francesca Docters	Northwestern	So.	Undeclared	Larchmont, N.Y.
Madison Donley	Northwestern	So.	Journalism	Grand Rapids, Mich.
Kylie Fisher	Northwestern	Jr.	Economics	Scottsdale, Ariz.
Mikayla Hampton	Northwestern	Jr.	Communication Studies	Cincinnati, Ohio
Nia Harris	Northwestern	Jr.	Journalism	Covina, Calif.
Madi Kennel	Northwestern	Jr.	Economics	Redondo Beach, Calif.
Olivia Korhonen	Northwestern	Gr.	Journalism And International Studies	Bethesda, Md.
Haley Lawson	Northwestern	So.	Communication Studies	Atlanta, Ga.
Lauren McCaffrey	Northwestern	So.	Journalism	San Clemente, Calif.
Chloe McGhee	Northwestern	So.	Undeclared	Saratoga, Calif.
Kayleigh Stahlschmidt	Northwestern	Jr.	Biology	St. Charles, Mo.
Regan Steigleder	Northwestern	Jr.	Earth And Planetary Science	Iowa City, Iowa
Olivia Stone	Northwestern	So.	Undeclared	Austin, Texas
Julietta Thron	Northwestern	So.	Journalism	Caldwell, N.J.

VOLLEYBALL (13)

Britt Bommer	Northwestern	Jr.	Earth & Planetary Sciences	Manhattan Beach, Calif.
Emily Ehman	Northwestern	Sr.	Journalism	Bloomington, Ind.
Ella Grbac	Northwestern	So.	Human Development & Psychological Services	Cleveland, Ohio
Sarah Johnson	Northwestern	Sr.	Economics / Integrated Marketing Communications Certificate	Pasadena, Calif.
Allie Lindroth	Northwestern	Sr.	Human Development & Psychological Services / Sociology	Plainfield, Ill.
Michelle Lee	Northwestern	So.	Cognitive Science	Naperville, Ill.
Kiara McNulty	Northwestern	So.	Computer Science	Del Mar, Calif.
Lexi Pitsas	Northwestern	Jr.	Human Development & Psychological Services	Munster, Ind.
Nia Robinson	Northwestern	Jr.	Journalism / Integrated Marketing Communications Certificate	Indianapolis, Ind.
Olivia Viscuso	Northwestern	Sr.	Neuroscience	Arlington, Texas
Amy Wang	Northwestern	Jr.	Economics / Kellogg Financial Economics	Palo Alto, Calif.
Ivey Whalen	Northwestern	Jr.	Journalism	Eagle, Wis.
Danyelle Williams	Northwestern	Jr.	Communication Studies	Chicago, Ill.