Five Teams Earn AAC Team Academic Excellence Awards

CINCINNATI - Five University of Cincinnati teams have been selected for 2018-19 American Athletic Conference Team Academic Excellence Awards, the league announced today. The five teams, which include football, lacrosse, women's soccer, women's swimming & diving and tennis, led the way for the Athletics Department as a record 320 Bearcats also earned AAC All-Academic honors.

// TEAM AWARDS
The team awards are presented to the program with the highest cumulative GPA in the league for each particular sport with the Bearcats leading all conference institutions with five this year, which is a single-year record for the Bearcats, surpassing the four attained in 2015-16 when football, women's swimming & diving, men's indoor track & field and men's outdoor track & field were honored. Prior to this year, UC teams had collected 11 total honors with this year's haul bringing the all-time total to 16 awards in six years.

• Football earned the AAC honor for the fourth year in a row after sporting a 3.136 GPA in the Spring.
• Lacrosse, in its first year as a member of the AAC, earned the inaugural award after posting a program-record 3.610 GPA
• Women's soccer also earned its first honor and followed suit by posting its highest GPA ever at 3.813
• Women's swimming & diving recorded a 3.671 GPA, also a program best, to earn their second award (2015-16)
• Tennis also earned their second all-time honor (2014-15) by posting a GPA of 3.727

// INDIVIDUAL SUCCESS
The number of individual Bearcats that held a 3.0 GPA or better and earned AAC All-Academic honors rose again this year as a record 320 were recognized by the league. The Bearcats 320 honorees are the most among all AAC schools. When adding in lacrosse's accolades from the Big East in each of the previous five seasons, this year's total surpasses the 303 attained last year. In fact, since the league formed and recognized its first group of all-academics in 2013-14, the Bearcats have seen their number of honorees rise four of the last five years:

• 2018-19: 320 TOTAL (294 + 26 lacrosse) = +17
• 2017-18: 303 TOTAL (286 + 17 lacrosse) = +13
• 2016-17: 290 TOTAL (271 + 19 lacrosse) =   - 2
• 2015-16: 292 TOTAL (273 + 19 lacrosse) = +24
• 2014-15: 268 TOTAL (245 + 23 lacrosse) = +71
• 2013-14: 197 TOTAL (179 + 18 lacrosse)

Football led all teams with 63 players earning all-academic honors with two other teams placing 30 or more on the academic lists, including women's track & field/cross country (38) and men's track & field/cross country (30). Additionally, four other teams had 20 or more honored, including baseball (25), lacrosse (26), women's soccer (28) and women's swimming & diving (29).

// CINCINNATI'S AAC ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM SELECTIONS
Baseball (25)
Drake Batcho • Joey Bellini • JP Bitzenhofer • Dondrae Bremner • A.J. Bumpass • Clayton Colvin • Mason DeAnna • Brennan Dolwick • Mitch Holding • Cal Jarrett • Nathan Kroger • Mike McDonough • Jace Mercer • Griffin Merritt • Nate Meyer • Cole Murphy • Jackson Murphy • Nick Murray • Andrew Noelker • David Orndorff • Eric Santiago • Tanner Schimmoeller • Chase Stewart • Jalen Wade • Joey Wiemer

Football (63)
Will Adams • Blake Bacevich • Blake Bammann • Tinashe Bere • Kyle Bolden • Taylor Boose • Chase Brown • Ben Bryant • Coby Bryant • Zach Bycznski • Malik Clements • Jeremy Cooper • Josiah Deguara • Joel Dublanko • Kimoni Fitz • Darrick Forrest • Thomas Geddis • Noah Hamlin • Javan Hawes • Alex Heil • Wilson Huber • Jayshon Jackson • Morgan James • Cam Jefferies • Ryan Jones • Casey Kirk • Aulden Knight • Michael Kopaygorodsky • Bruno Labelle • Cody Lamb • Nate Lawler • Daeshon Martin • Malick Mbodj • Vincent McConnell • Rashad Medaris • Lorenz Metz • Kevin Mouhon • Mick Oakes • Dylan O'Quinn • Alec Pierce • Elijah Ponder • RJ Potts • Desmond Ridder • Yanez Rogers • Jerron Rollins • Ryan Royer • Joel Schroer • Grant Simon • Cole Smith • James Smith • Jake Sopko • Nick Staderman • Tavion Thomas • Kyle Trout • Ty Van Fossen • Malik Vann • Michael Warren II • Jarell White • Josh Whyle • James Wiggins • Zach Wood • Colin Woodside • Perry Young

Basketball, Men (4)
Nysier Brooks • Sam Martin • Eliel Nsoseme • Prince Toyambi

Basketball, Women (6)
Antoinette Miller • Addaya Moore • Angel Rizor • Sam Rodgers • Florence Sifa • Monique Thompson

Golf, Men (10)
Clay Amlung • Jake Fox • Paul Huber • Sam Jean • Jack Kunkel • Mason Lenhart • Andy Mayhew • Nicolas Osterburg • Austin Squires • Tommy Sullinger

Golf, Women (9)
Alyssa Burritt • Erin Evans • Anika Hitt • Angela Lopez • Vanessa Manrique • Amalia Shahzan • Daniela Murcia • Lily Rinker • Emma Wachtel

Lacrosse (26)
Alyssa Adams • Zoe Antona • Monica Borzillo • Kate Brocato • Kate Carney • Maria Collacchi • Amanda Donovan • Morgan Dukes • Giuliana Durso • Adrianna Fess • Alexandra Fess • Amanda Fess • Jennie Finotti • Madison Foery • Lauren Harrison • Brooke Holmstrom • Camille Johnston • Taylor Kozloski • Isabelle LeJeune • Ali Mazzola • Kate McLoughlin • Sam Mlkvy • Gianna Napoletano • Kylie Nause • Anna Platou • Jayde Sains

Soccer, Men (16)
Trey Asensio • Mohamed Elmardi • Rex Epps • Elias Helbig • Pascal Igl • Marcello Jones • Abubakar Kasule • Noah Lawrence • Will Lonneman • Ryan Melink • Zach Powell • Moritz Schaller • Austin Smythe • Mason Volker • Ben Wendell • Mo Williams

Soccer, Women (28)
Julia Abbott • Holyn Alf • Abby Brauning • Emi Carlo • Bri Costigan • Claudia Eustaquio • Sydney Goins • Sophie Gorman • Libby Greenwell • Riley Gruenbaum • Camryn Hartman • Tiffany Huber • Sydney Kilgore • Madison Less • Madison Lindsay • Annie Metzger • Alli Pestaina • Dee Picou • Kaleigh Piscioneri • Delaney Riester • Karli Royer • Jane Sensibaugh • Ally Sidloski • Brandi Thomsen • Michelle Travassos • Jill Vetere • Cassie Wheldon • Ying Zhan

Swimming & Diving, Men (14)
Zach Baecker • Michael Balcerak • Justin Crew • Alberto Garcia • Blake Hanna • Louis Hunt • Tyler Jones • Dalton Lillibridge • Kevin McCaffrey • Remington Oland • Dominic Polling • Joey Puglessi • Din Selmanovic • Toby Van Dyke

Swimming & Diving, Women (29)
Mackenzie Arens • Audrey Capannari • Molly Chelovitz • Maddie Exton • Claire Farrell • Victoria Hunt • Abby Johnston • Laura Johnston • Lina Kutsko • Rocky Laabs • Ashley Mennenga • Victoria Miyamoto • Natalie Obando • Simone Palomo • Carlie Perretta • Kaley Pook • Katie Qualls • Kelley Reis • Tricia Roscoe • Jordyn Ryan • Olivia Schmelzer • Claire Schuermann • Grace Seibert • Caroline Sheehan • Dee Sopapong • Sydney St. Rose-Finear • Camryn Streid • Alexandra Wall • Michaela Wheeler

Tennis (9)
Antonella Bramato • Alexia Coutino • Ioana Guna • Amanda Huser • Emma Miceli • Caroline Morton • Anna Philp • Maria Santilli • Maria Teixido Garcia

Track & Field/Cross Country, Men (30)
Logan Baker • Toni Banos • Damien Berthenet • Aaron Bienenfeld • Chris Borzor • Mykel Chambers • Jack Cordonnier • Aaron Deaton • Connor Duricky • Austin Edwards • Austin Goolsby • Arthur Greenlee • Nick Grismer • Ryan Guenthner • Jeremy Hayton • Jase Headings • Danny Jones • Nicholas Lauria • Tim Maduka • Sam Meece • Quincy Mitchell • Keifer Mosmeier • Chris Province • Jacob Rieman • Ben Scharf • Andrew Schille • Christian Stevens • Matt Stump • Michael Vitucci • Andre Wright

Track & Field/Cross Country, Women (38)
Faith Banks • Loretta Blaut • Sadie Brass • Maggie Breitenstein • Ellee Bullock • Lily Bunse • Cassidy Carey • Brooke Catherine • Caisja Chandler • Rachel Coghill • Tes Corea • Kylie Cutlip • Annette Echikunwoke • Leah Heckaman • Alanna Hendricks • Emma Hensley • Sammy Hentz • Sydney Hess • Izzy Kline • Carmen Licht • Angelica Lightfoot • Kennedy Marable • Hannah Markel • Leah Maschino • Lianne Masquelier • Janey McManus • Sam Mikula • Irati Mitxelena • Madalyn O'Dea • Katrina Patterson • Rylee Penn • Allie Plybon • Samantha Simms • Malin Smith • Sydney Spears • Abby Stoughton • Katie Straus • Grace Winckowski

Volleyball (13)
Emily Azzara • Damjana Cabarkapa • Maya Eller • Armania Heckenmueller • Jasmine Jones • Maria Mallon • Carly Nolan • Nevena Santrac • Chrysanthi Stamatiou • Jordan Thompson • Jade Tingelhoff • Abby Williams • Shannon Williams

// HISTORICAL LOOK • TEAM AWARDS
2018-19 • Football, Lacrosse, Soccer (W), Swimming & Diving (W), Tennis
2017-18 • Cross Country (M), Football
2016-17 • Cross Country (M), Football
2015-16 • Football, Swimming & Diving (W), Track & Field - Indoor (M), Track & Field - Outdoor (M)
2014-15 • Baseball, Tennis
2013-14 • Baseball