CLEVELAND, OH – The Division II Athletic Director’s Association (D2ADA) has named 79 Augusta University student-athletes as 2024-25 Academic Achievement Award winners. The Academic Achievement Awards, now in its 18th year, is a program that recognizes the academic accomplishments of student-athletes at the NCAA Division II level. This news comes off the back of the Jaguars recording above a 3.0 GPA for the 18th consecutive semester.

For the first time since inception, there were more than 20,000 student-athletes recognized (22,756) from a record 202 institutions for the 2024-25 Academic Achievement Awards. This year’s totals are the highest in the program’s history. Historically, 190,032 total student-athletes have been recognized since the inception of the awards program. 

“Since its inception, this program has been dedicated to celebrating the exceptional student-athletes who define excellence across our Division II landscape,” said Traci Murphy, vice president for athletics at Daemen University and current D2 ADA President. “This year, we are thrilled to recognize a record number of deserving individuals, reflecting the unprecedented dedication within our division – not only in athletics, but in the classroom as well. This year’s record-breaking submissions for both individuals and schools serve as a testament to the Division II way. Thanks to the administrators that nominated these outstanding individuals, and much-deserved congratulations to our 22,000-plus recipients.”

To qualify for this honor, the following must occur:

• The AD MUST BE a CURRENT dues-paying member of the D2 ADA.
• Student-athlete must have …

  • a cumulative grade point average of 3.5 or higher on a 4.0 scale
  • have attended a minimum of two years (four semesters) of college level work 
  • have been an active member of an intercollegiate team during his/her last academic year

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LA JOLLA, Calif. – Four-time Triton All-American and former professional player Sarah Lizotte  has been named head coach of the UC San Diego women’s water polo program. The Department of Intercollegiate Athletics made the announcement Thursday. 

Lizotte served as an assistant coach with the Tritons during the 2025 season. A marquis player for UC San Diego between 2011 and 2014, Lizotte is the program’s all-time leader in goals and assists. The Riverside, Calif., native earned Association of Collegiate Water Polo Coaches (ACWPC) First Team All-America status following each of her four seasons.

Lizotte replaces Brad Kreutzkamp, who retired in August after serving 16 seasons as the Tritons’ head coach. Kreutzkamp accumulated over 300 wins during his tenure.

“Stepping into the role of head coach at UC San Diego is both an honor and a responsibility I deeply value,” said Lizotte. “As a proud alumna, this opportunity is deeply personal. This program shaped me and now I have the chance to help shape its future. It’s important to me to invest in the growth of our athletes, not only as fierce competitors but as young women who will carry forward the legacy of UC San Diego women’s water polo.”

In 2025, Lizotte helped UC San Diego post an 18-12 overall record and a 4-3 mark in Big West action. For the third-straight year, the team advanced to the Big West Championship semifinals.

Prior to returning to her alma mater, Lizotte was an assistant coach for the UCLA men’s and women’s programs. She assisted in developing and executing practice plans and game strategies to improve team performance while mentoring and guiding players to help them reach their full potential. Lizotte also had a hand in recruiting top performing athletes both nationally and internationally.

With Lizotte on the bench, the Bruins won a national title on the women’s side in 2024.

Lizotte served as the head coach of the Canyon Crest Academy varsity girls team (2012-2015) and was an assistant coach with the Cathedral Catholic High School boys varsity team (2012-2015), which won a pair of CIF titles during her tenure. Both schools are located in San Diego.

Between 2010 and 2015, Lizotte was the head coach and director of the youth program at the Del Mar Water Polo Club in San Diego.

As a professional player, Lizotte spent eight seasons (2015-2023) with Club Esportiu Mediterrani, based in Barcelona, Spain. A six-time team captain, Lizotte helped the squad classify and compete in the European Champions League.

While in Europe, Lizotte was the USA Sports Relations Manager at the Barcelona International Water Polo Academy where she was involved in international sales, marketing, and communications.

She is also the founder of the Lizotte International Sports Agency in Barcelona (2020-2023), which aided in recruitment consultation, event production, and athlete management.

Lizotte holds the top-three spots on UC San Diego’s single-season goals list with 92 in 2014 and 2013 and 91 in 2012. She finished her career with 321 goals and 176 assists. In addition to her All-America selections, Lizotte was the ACWPC NCAA Division II Player of the Year as a junior and again as a senior. She was also tabbed the Western Water Polo Association (WWPA) Player of the Year during those two campaigns.

The Tritons won WWPA titles 2011, 2013, and 2014 and advanced to the NCAA tournament in each of those seasons.

Lizotte graduated from UC San Diego in 2014 with a degree in Communications. She minored in Business at UC San Diego’s Rady School of Business.

“I’m incredibly grateful to our athletics department, our alumni, and the San Diego community for their endless support – you are the heartbeat of this program,” said Lizotte. “This is more than a new chapter for me, it’s an opportunity for all of us to grow, compete, and achieve together.”

——

About UC San Diego Athletics
After two decades as one of the most successful programs in NCAA Division II, the UC San Diego intercollegiate athletics program began a new era in 2020 as a member of The Big West in NCAA Division I. The 23-sport Tritons earned 30 team and nearly 150 individual national championships during its time in Divisions II and III and helped guide 1,400 scholar-athletes to All-America honors. A total of 84 Tritons have earned Academic All-America honors, while 38 have earned prestigious NCAA Post Graduate Scholarships. UC San Diego scholar-athletes exemplify the academic ideals of one of the world’s preeminent institutions, graduating at an average rate of 91 percent, one of the highest rates among institutions at all divisions.

STORRS, Conn.- Two former UConn volleyball players will be taking their talents overseas to compete at the professional level. Taylor Pannell (Middletown, N.Y.) and Jasmine Davis (Redondo Beach, Ca.) have signed respective deals with Volley Lugano (Switzerland) and Gislaved Volleybollklubb (Sweden).

Pannell finished her UConn career last season in 2024, being named an All-BIG EAST selection. In 2024, Pannell finished second on the team with 311 kills and 1^st in total blocks with 91, a key contributor to the impressive season for the Huskies that saw UConn win a program-record 26 games and advance to the NIVC Great 8. Pannell concluded her chapter in Storrs with 968 career kills, 414 blocks, a hit percentage of .263, and the most sets ever played in a Husky uniform with 484 sets.

Davis played in Storrs from 2019-2023, notching 897 kills (2.62/set), 830 digs (2.43/set), 151 blocks and 91 aces in 95 matches with the Huskies before transferring to San Diego State for her graduate student season in 2024. With the Aztecs, Davis poured in 279 kills, 260 digs and 30 aces.

Davis and Pannell both shined in UConn’s 2021 season, contributing to the team’s 24-11 mark, advancing all the way to the NIVC Fab Four. Davis recorded 337 kills in 2021, the second-most on the team, with Pannell chipping in 255 terminations to contribute to UConn’ success.

 

The award, which started in 1981, honors the all-time great contributors to the game of college hockey. Without question, these individuals have left their valuable trademark on the collegiate game. They have led the way in all aspects of the game, from playing to coaching and even creating the rules. It’s through their commitment to the game that fans everywhere can enjoy today’s exciting world of college hockey.

 

 

“Dick Umile is an iconic figure in New Hampshire and he is an iconic figure in the legacy of our program,” said UNH head coach Mike Souza, who spoke at the ceremony. “I did not know much about UNH until coach Umile walked into my living room in 1995. He sat down, looked at me and said ‘if you play for me, I will treat you like you are my own kid.’ And that was the truth. And I saw that over-and-over again over the years. He meant what he said and lived it every day. I am blessed to have played for him and worked with him.”

 

 

Umile coached UNH for 28 years and guided the Wildcats to 596 victories, two national championship games, four Frozen Fours, 18 NCAA tournament appearances, eight Hockey East regular-season championships and two Hockey East tournament titles. The Wildcats won 20 or more games 20 times during his tenure.

 

 

“I would like to thank the Legends of College Hockey committee for this recognition as it is quite an honor,” said Umile. “I really enjoyed the experience of coaching and I am very grateful for the love and support from my wife, children and grandchildren. Hockey has been so important to me and helped me develop as a person. It is very rewarding to receive this honor and be recognized with the other Legends of College Hockey.”

 

Umile was named Coach of the Year a total of 11 times, including the Spencer Penrose Award winner as National Coach of the Year in 1999. He was tabbed the top coach in New England four times and Hockey East Coach of the Year a conference record six times.

 

The 596 wins are more than any head coach in UNH men’s hockey history, and that total ranked third among active coaches – ninth all-time – when he announced his retirement in 2018. Umile became the eighth Division I men’s hockey coach to record 500 wins at one school.

 

Umile, who graduated from UNH in 1972, posted 60 goals and 84 assists for 144 points as a player. He is the only member of the UNH Athletics Hall of Fame to be inducted as a player and a coach.  

 

 

Past Winners of the Legends of College Hockey Award

 

 

The Wildcats start the 2025-26 season at Michigan State on Thursday and Friday, Oct. 9-10, while the home season will begin versus LIU (Oct. 24) and Quinnipiac (Oct. 25).

Individual game tickets for the 2025-26 University of New Hampshire men’s hockey season are on sale now for all 17 home games by visiting UNHWildcats.com/BuyTickets or by calling (603) 862-4000.

Milaniakai Padilla won the AAU National Volleyball Championship for two-player girls beach volleyball in her age category, along with Lia Ray of Florida. Photo courtesy Padilla family.

At 15 years old, Milaniakai Padilla of Maui has already won two national beach volleyball titles in two-player women’s competition for her age group — a gold in the AAU National Championships and an AVP National Championship in 2025.

“She understands what it takes, and her goal is to be in the Olympics,” said her mother, Melissa Padilla.

Milaniakai Padilla is a student at Seabury Hall who carries a 4.0 grade-point average as she continues to train for volleyball.

On Aug. 15-17, she will be playing with Seabury Hall at a preseason Pride of the Windward Side Volleyball Tournament at Les Jardin Academy in Kailua, Oahu, a competition that attracts top high school girls varsity teams in the United States.

At 5 feet, 9 inches tall, she plays outside hitter in indoor volleyball competition and also competes in track and field for Seabury. She was also on the Maui Interscholastic League All-Star Division II team.

Melissa said Milaniakai enjoys studying engineering and is also a four-year student in Hawaiian language.

Padilla showed versatility in her game partnering with different players in national championships, winning the AAU title with Florida-based Lia Ray and then the championship in the AVP with Virginia Beach standout Saddie Stafford.

In a third competition for AAU National Queen of the Court tournament, she earned a silver medal with Sage Illion of Wichita, Kansas.

Milaniakai Padilla has won two national championships in beach volleyball for girls age 15 group in 2025 and has been selected among a special group of athletes to undergo national training. Photo courtesy Padilla family

Padilla, who started playing beach volleyball during COVID, credits her coaches, including Scotty Zucco of the Aloha Volleyball Association and Danny Alvares, the University of Hawaii head volleyball coach, for training her.

She said she learned the basics from Zucco, including daily training, and Alvarez has taught her beach strategy and a higher skill level of playing.

She has been flying on weekends to training at the Outrigger Canoe Club in Waikiki, with Alvarez’s help and training with an elite group of athletes.

She’s been training also with Rebecca Jakeway of OM Maui Health & Fitness in Kula.

Padilla also hopes to continue her training with AVP professionals Bill and Kelly Kolinske.

She was selected to participate in the volleyball training program for the National Team Development Program for the United States a year ago and hopes to return this year.

Her mother Melissa Padilla said Milaniakai is good at what she does and has been willing to forego some of her social activities to further her training in volleyball.

Milaniakai admires and respects Kristen Nuss, the all-time winningest college beach volleyball player in NCAA history, her mother said.

Milaniakai also has been following the Crabb brothers, Trevor and Taylor, professional beach volleyball players out of Honolulu.

Milaniakai comes from an athletic family. Her mother played college soccer for Virginia Wesleyan. Her grandfather played basketball at King’s College at Briarcliff Manor in New York.

She said her volleyball activities have been made possible because of her family.

“I am grateful to my family for their unlimited support and sacrifices,” she said.

Milaniakai Padilla. Courtesy photo

SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – North Dakota’s Kenna Curry and St. Thomas’s Jade Hill were selected as the Summit League’s nominees for the 2025 NCAA Woman of the Year award, League officials announced Thursday.

 

The NCAA Woman of the Year program was established in 1991 and honors the academic achievements, athletic excellence, community service and leadership of graduating female college athletes from all three divisions.

The Woman of the Year selection committee, which is made up of representatives from the NCAA membership, will choose the Top 30 honorees from among those nominated with 10 selections coming from each of the association’s three divisions. The committee will select the 2025 NCAA Woman of the Year recipient from the Top 30 that will be announced in October.

Curry, an Elk Point, S.D., native, understood the importance of discipline, resilience, hard-work, and support from a young age. Curry brought that mindset and skills to the collegiate level as she welcomed new challenges and opportunities during her freshman year at North Dakota.

Fast forward three years, Curry is now a college graduate with Cum Laude honors from UND. She earned a bachelor’s degree in communication sciences & disorders, accompanied by a minor in psychology and certificate in special education.

Curry is a three-time member of the Summit League Commissioner’s List of Academic Excellence, a five-time honoree of Summit League Academic Honor Roll, and four-time selection to the University of North Dakota Dean’s List. The academic accolades do not stop there as she was twice named to the Indoor Track & Field USTFCCCA All-Academic Team (2023, 2024) and once picked to the Outdoor Track & Field USTFCCCA All-Academic Team (2023).  

On the track, Curry was an NCAA Outdoor Track & Field First Team All-American (2025), a two-time NCAA Indoor Track & Field Second Team All-American (2024, 2025), twice selected as Summit League Indoor Field Athlete of the Year (2024, 2025), twice selected as the Summit League Indoor Track & Field Championship MVP (2024, 2025), a three-time member of the Indoor and Outdoor Track & Field All-Summit League Team (2023, 2024, 2025), a one-time recipient of the Summit League Outdoor Field Athlete of the Year (2025), and the Summit League Outdoor Field Championship MVP (2025).

Curry also won six different Summit League event championships during her career, including two at the 2025 Summit League Indoor Championship (shot put, weight throw), the weight throw at the 2024 Summit League Indoor Championship, two more at the 2025 Summit League Outdoor Championship (shot put, hammer throw), and the shot put at the 2023 Summit League Outdoor Championship.

Off the track, Curry has most recently volunteered her time with the National Student Speech Language and Hearing Association, where she attended monthly meetings to discuss how to impact the future of speech language pathology. Amongst other activities, she also volunteered her time with the likes of National Girls & Women in Sports Day (participated in fellowship/empowerment event), Blue Zones Project and Safe Kids (walked children to school safely on Walk to School Day), and the Special Olympics of North Dakota (volunteered at bowling practice and track & field practice).

Since stepping foot on St. Thomas’s campus, Hill has possessed a hard-working attitude and passion to learn which has led to individual and team success. That consistent attitude has propelled Hill, who began her collegiate basketball career in the winter of 2021, to graduate this past spring with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and a 3.82 GPA.

Across Hill’s career, she was a three-time selection to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team (2022-2023, 2023-2024, 2024-2025) and a University of St. Thomas Honor Roll member every semester during her time with the Tommies.

On the court, she earned a Summit League Honorable Mention nod as a senior. As a junior, Hill collected Summit League Second Team All-Conference (2023-24) accolades while also being named to the 2021-22 Summit League All-Newcomer Team as a freshman. In her time at St. Thomas, Hill became the program’s all-time assists leader while also scoring more than a 1,000 career points.

During her senior campaign, Hill recorded a career-high 14.3 ppg and career-high 4.6 apg, which led to her Summit League Honorable Mention nod. Hill closed her collegiate career averaging 13.1 ppg (1,558 total points) and 4.0 apg (474 total assists). Hill was also a threat on the defensive side of the ball, recording 183 career steals. She departs St. Thomas with a load of experience as she averaged 34.1 minutes per game over the course of her career.

The Minneapolis, Minn., native volunteered with a variety of different organizations during her four years on the Tommies’ campus. Hill spent many hours a week in the elementary school system serving as a mentor and teacher’s aide in the Minneapolis/St. Paul area, while also associating with the tutor-mentor program at Maxfield Elementary School where she gained valuable field experience. Hill also volunteered a large chunk of her time to organizations such as the Catholic Charities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Presbyterian Homes, and Feed My Starving Children events.  

 

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