Academic honors fall 2021
Conference champion men’s swim & dive also tops league in academics
The Binghamton men’s swimming & diving program didn’t just win the America East title this season. It also recorded the highest sport GPA of any men’s swimming & diving program in the conference during the 2020-21 academic year.
With a 3.59 overall team GPA, the Bearcats topped the America East for the third time in four years in the classroom. In addition, Binghamton has now posted the top men’s swimming & diving team GPA five times since 2009. The conference did not sponsor men’s swimming & diving between 2014-2017.
Golf lands four on Big Sky All-Academic Team
Recent graduate Matthew Catton and current seniors Nacho Glagovsky, Gavin Simon and Scott Kleeschulte have been named to the 2021 Big Sky Conference All-Academic Team. The announcement was made on Wednesday afternoon by the conference office.
For the 2020-21 season, the following changes were voted on by the league’s Athletic Directors, a student-athlete must have met/or exceeded the following minimum requirements: 1) Be on an active roster for their institution; 2) Achieved a 3.2 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) at the conclusion of the most recently completed term; 3) Completed at least one academic term at his/her current Big Sky institution.
This marks the second straight appearance by Glagovsky on the Big Sky All-Academic Team and the first for Catton, Simon and Kleeschulte.
“This is a great accomplishment for our players.,” head coach Bernie Herceg said. “The hard work and effort they put forth during these times is incredible and we’re very proud of them.”
Distance runners Mackay and Schaffer named to academic teams
Seniors Emily Mackay and Dan Schaffer have each been named to the 2021 College Sports Information Directors of America (COSIDA) Cross Country and Track & Field Academic All-District Team. It marks the first time in either of their careers that they have earned the distinction.
The 2020-21 Academic All-District® Men’s and Women’s Cross Country and Track Teams, selected by CoSIDA, recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced in mid-August.
Volleyball team receives academic honor
The Binghamton volleyball team has earned Team Academic honors from the United States Marine Corps and the American Volleyball Coaches Association, as announced Monday afternoon.
“Under such difficult and unusual circumstances, it was great to see the team sift through all the distractions and zero in on their academics,” head coach Glenn Kiriyama said. “Their success during these times shows you that they have their priorities set straight and their energies focused in the right direction.”
Track and field trio earns academic honors
The accolades continue to pile up for seniors Emily Mackay, Dan Schaffer and Aziza Chigatayeva.
The three distance running standouts were named United States Track & Field and Cross Country Coaches’ Association (USTFCCCA) All-Academic honorees for the 2021 track & field season. In order to earn the distinction, a student-athlete must have attained at least a 3.25 cumulative GPA and have advanced to at least the NCAA Regional Meet.
Mackay, who placed third in the women’s 5,000 at the NCAA East Regional Meet and went on to finish seventh in the same event at the ensuing NCAA Championships, earns USTFCCCA All-Academic honors for the third time in her career. She was also chosen during the both the 2020 cross country and track & field seasons.
Scores of student-athletes named to America East Honor Roll
The America East has released its 2021 Spring Academic Honor Roll and the Binghamton Athletic Department has 323 student-athletes that earned the distinction. This represents 85 percent of all eligible student-athletes.
Those Bearcat student-athletes which competed in a sport sponsored by the America East were eligible for inclusion on the America East Honor Roll. This includes basketball, soccer, lacrosse, volleyball, cross country, track & field, swimming & diving, baseball and softball. There are 381 Binghamton student-athletes which competed in the above-mentioned sports.
All student-athletes that earned a 3.0 or higher in the semester of competition were named to the America East Honor Roll. In addition, those student-athletes that earned at least a 3.5 GPA during the semester of competition were named to the America East Commissioner’s Honor Roll. Binghamton had 224 such selections, which accounts for 59 percent of all eligible student-athletes.
Unlike previous years, the America East did not release a fall semester Honor Roll, which includes soccer, volleyball and cross country. This is because those sports competed during the spring semester due to COVID-19 protocols.
Mackay named Academic All-American
Senior distance runner Emily Mackay has been named a third-team Track & Cross Country Academic All-American by the College Sports Information Directors of America (COSIDA). She is just the fifth Binghamton athlete to earn the distinction during the program’s 20-year NCAA Division I era as well as the first female athlete during that span.
Widely considered to be college athletics’ most prestigious academic honor, the COSIDA Academic All-America program recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom.