AUSTIN, Texas --- Three Tusculum University student-athletes have been named to the 2023 NCAA Division II Men's At-Large Academic All-District® 3 team as selected by the College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA).
Earning Academic All-District® honors for the Pioneers are the golf duo of Riley Brown and Liam Hermansson, along with lacrosse midfielder Tristan Kirkham.
The 2023 Academic All-District® Men's At-Large Team recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances for the following NCAA sports: fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, volleyball, water polo and wrestling.
All three advance to the Men's At-Large Academic All-America® ballot with the winners being announced next month.
District 3 is comprised of colleges and universities representing the South Atlantic Conference, Peach Belt Conference and Conference Carolinas. To be eligible, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or higher, must be at least a sophomore and played in 50 percent of their team's games.
Brown, a senior from Peoria, Arizona, 3.93 GPA while majoring in sports science. He graduated with magna cum laude honors and is a member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, Dean's List, Charles Oliver Gray Honors List, Tusculum Athletic Director's Honor Roll and the President's List. In 2022, he was named a NGCA All-American Scholar and was a recipient of the Division II Athletic Directors Association Academic Achievement Award.
Brown finished fourth on the team with his 74.23 stroke average. In his 10 events, he recorded five top-20 finished including three in the top-10 and two top-five performances. He finished ninth at the 2023 SAC Championship where he posted a 54-hole total of 69-73-74=216 to earn SAC All-Tournament honors. He placed fourth at the Bob Dibble Intercollegiate and logged a fifth-place showing at the Walters State Fall Classic.
For his Tusculum career, Brown accounted for a 74.50 scoring average which is the seventh lowest in program history. He recorded eight top-20 finishes which includes four times in the top-10 and three top-5 outings.
Hermansson, a sophomore from Stockholm, Sweden, is majoring in business and has a 3.68 GPA. He is a member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, Dean's List, Athletic Director's Honor Roll and the Charles Oliver Gray Honors List.
In his eight tournaments, Hermansson posted a 78.10 stroke average and finished in the top-20 on two occasions. He tied for 11th at the Walters State Classic and 12th at the King Invitational.
Kirkham, a senior from Langley, British Columbia, posted a 3.63 GPA while majoring in sport management. He graduated from Tusculum earlier this month with cum laude honors and is a two-time recipient of the D2ADA Academic Achievement Award. He is also a member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, Athletic Director's Honor Roll, Charles Oliver Gray Honors List and the Dean's List.
Kirkham led the Pioneers with his 39 goals which are 10th-most in the league. He also dished out seven assists to finish with a team-high 46 points. He accounted for 27 ground balls and caused five turnovers defensively. In his 50 career games he totaled 103 goals with 27 assists for his 130 points.
The 2023 Academic All-District® Men's At-Large Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.
The Division II and III CSC Academic All-America® programs are partially financially supported by the NCAA Division II and III national governance structures to assist CSC with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2022-23 Divisions II and III Academic All-America® programs. The NAIA CSC Academic All-America® program is partially financially supported through the NAIA national office.
