Six Spring Student-Athletes Named To USCAA National Academic Team

MEDIA, Pa. -- Three members of both the Penn State Brandywine baseball and softball teams were named to the United States Collegiate Athletic Association Spring National Academic Teams recently.

From the baseball team, Sam Benvignati (Aston, Pa./Archbishop Carroll), Michael Govan (Newtown Square, Pa./Marple Newtown) and Connor Thompson (Finksburg, Md./Westminster) all received awards, while Meghan Ferry (Gloucester City, N.J./Gloucester City), Karly Rees (Oxford, Pa./Oxford) and Becky Valente (Royersford, Pa./Spring-Ford) represented the softball team.

The USCAA National Academic Team is awarded to student-athletes who have accumulated a minimum GPA of 3.50 entering the spring semester and reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at their institution.

Benvignati, who also earned second team all-American and first team all-conference honors this spring, finished the semester with a 3.77 grade-point average as a communications major. Also named to the PSUAC All-Academic Team, Benvignati produced a team-leading .426 batting average and 40 runs batted in, while slugging three home runs.

Govan entered the spring holding a 3.56 GPA as a business management major and was awarded PSUAC All-Academic Team for the second-straight year. On the field, Govan posted a 6-3 record and 3.65 earned run average in 11 appearances on the mound.

Thompson received USCAA National Academic Team honors for the third time in his career and was selected as the top male scholar-athlete in the PSUAC, earning the John S. Egli Award. He graduated with a degree in engineering after posting a 3.50 GPA. A USCAA All-American, Thompson went 7-2 with a 3.49 ERA, while making 14 appearances as the ace of the Brandywine pitching staff.

Ferry, who graduated this spring with a degree in psychology, earned the honor for the second-straight year after finishing her career with a 3.64 GPA. She also earned second team all-conference laurels, recording 35 hits, 44 runs scored and 35 RBI.

Rees owns the highest GPA among Brandywine's 180 student-athletes at 3.99 and was named USCAA Student-Athlete of the Year in addition to earning her second national academic award. Also the John S. Egli Award winner as the top female scholar-athlete in the PSUAC, Rees was a USCAA First Team All-American after hitting .464 with 27 extra-base hits and 37 RBI.

Valente completed the spring semester with a 3.95 GPA as a human development and family studies major to collect her second USCAA National Academic Team selection. On the field, she hit .364 with 18 runs scored and 11 RBI in 28 games.