Six Fall Student-Athletes Named To USCAA Academic Team
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. -- A total of six Penn State Brandywine fall student-athletes representing three sports were awarded academic honors from the United States Collegiate Athletic Association recently, earning USCAA National Academic Team selections last week.
Four volleyball seniors earned recognition as Miranda Biondi (Newtown Square, Pa./Marple Newtown), Kirsten Jerla (Springfield, Pa./Notre Dame), Molly Nichols (Lenni, Pa./Penncrest) and Kim Russo (West Chester, Pa./West Chester East) all claimed the award.
Sophomore cross country runner Annie Mueller (Lincoln University, Pa./Homeschooled) was also lauded with the honor, while senior Manny Amine (Detroit, Mich./Wyoming Park) represented the Lions' men's soccer team.
The USCAA Fall National Academic Team is awarded to student-athletes who have amassed a minimum grade-point average of 3.50 and reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at their institution.
Biondi, who became Brandywine's first-ever USCAA Student-Athlete of the Year last week, has accumulated a 3.58 grade-point average as a human develoment and family studies major. She is a three-time PSUAC all-academic honoree who became the first female athlete at Brandywine to earn academic all-district accolades from Capital One last fall.
Biondi also became Brandywine's first volleyball all-American this season as she was named to the second team. The four-time all-PSUAC first team selection finished her standout career as the Lions' all-time leader in assists (2,169) and aces (327).
As a biology major, Jerla owns a 3.58 GPA and earned the national academic award for the second time. She is also a three-time PSUAC all-academic award winner. Jerla closed out her 105-match volleyball career with 471 kills and 86 blocks.
In two years at Brandywine, Nichols has recorded a 3.77 GPA. The business major was selected to the PSUAC All-Academic Team during her first season with the Lions. Nichols finished fourth on the team with 112 kills and totaled 237 over the last two years.
Russo is a three-time academic all-PSUAC selection as a human development and family studies major and owns a 3.49 GPA. She became the first volleyball player from Brandywine to reach 1,000 career digs earlier this fall and capped off her 101-match career with 1,083 digs.
Amine earned USCAA National Academic Team laurels for the third-straight year. In 2014, he became Brandywine's first-ever academic all-American as selected by Capital One/CoSIDA. He has compiled a 3.81 grade-point average, while majoring in psychology. On the field, Amine was a first team all-conference honoree after tallying three assists during an injury-shortened season.
Mueller, who has yet to declare a major, owns a GPA of 3.65 and was a PSUAC all-academic selection as a freshman. This season, she helped lead the Brandywine women's cross country team to its first PSUAC championship and second-straight appearance at the USCAA Championship, while garnering first team all-conference honors.
