BU before playing Western Michigan in the national championship this spring. (Tyler Schank/Getty Images)

When Western Michigan took care of business against Boston University, 6-2, in this season’s Division 1 men’s college hockey national championship, a narrative that had been in the works for a long time began to bubble.

Young, high-end teams can’t win.

The Terriers had just lost. Boston College, the No. 1 team throughout most of the season, lost to Denver again — this time before the Frozen Four. Last season, BC, boasting some of the best freshmen in college hockey history, fell to Denver in the national championship. In 2023, a Minnesota team featuring freshmen such as Logan Cooley, Jimmy Snuggerud and sophomore Matthew Knies lost to Quinnipiac in the national championship.

College hockey has had an influx of top prospects choose the NCAA. BU’s Macklin Celebrini did so in 2023 and won the Hobey Baker. The year before, Adam Fantilli took the college hockey world by storm at Michigan, winning the Hobey Baker. Both were one-and-dones.

Hockey is a copycat sport. When a strategy works for one team, others try and use it to their advantage, too.

That can be true in recruiting, an ever-changing landscape.

So, are the young, high-end teams at a disadvantage? And will recruiting change due to this perception?

The 2024-25 Academic All-District® At-Large Teams have been announced yesterday by College Sport Communicators (CSC). This award recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances in competition and in the classroom.

12 Mules were recognized on the list composing of six men and six women. The six women consist of three Colby Women’s Lacrosse players, Ainsley Dion*, Julia Jardina*, and Kat Munter*, as well as Carissa Cassidy* and Hannah Soria of the Colby Alpine Skiing team and Casey Winslow of Colby Field Hockey. The six men consist of two Colby Men’s Ice Hockey athletes, Nick Stapleton and Max O’Brien, two Colby Men’s Lacrosse players, Bennett Goller and Gavin Rothenberg as well as two Colby Nordic Skiers, Benjamin Lewis and Jack Young*. 

Outstanding student-athletes are nominated for Academic All-District® recognition by current CSC members and must meet high academic and athletic standards. To qualify, student-athletes must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically, have a minimum 3.50 cumulative GPA and must be above the minimum requirement of games played or events attended in their sport.

Student-athletes selected as CSC Academic All-America® finalists are denoted with an asterisk and will advance to the national ballot to be voted on by CSC members. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced July 8th (women) and 9th (men). 

CLICK HERE for the full article on the CSC website 6/17

On Wednesday, Atlantic Hockey America announced the 129 members of the 2024-25 Women’s League All-Academic Team.  The AHA All-Academic Team honors those student-athletes who posted a GPA of 3.0 or above for both semesters of the 2023-24 academic year.

Lindenwood was second in the conference with 24 recipients, while 10 athletes were named Student-Athletes of the Year for earning a 4.0 during the academic year.

2024-25 Student-Athletes of the Year (10)

Madison Bowtell, Paige Cline, Kaitlin Finnegan, Olivia Grabianowski, Molly Henderson, Anna LaRose, Quinn McLaren, Ellie Muscedere, Brooke Pioske, Gigi Pora

2024-25 AHA All-Academic Team (24)

Madison Bowtell, Paige Cline, Chloe Corbin, Maegan Cronan, Hannah Dods, Josey Dunn, Kaitlin Finnegan, Olivia Grabianowski, Silje Gundersen, Molly Henderson, Catherine Hodgins, Sidney Jackel, Thea Jorgensen, Anna LaRose, Quinn McLaren, Ellie Muscedere, Morgan Neitzke, Zsofia Pazmandi, Brooke Pioske, Gigi Pora, Lucie Quarto, Sydney Rarick, Sena Takenaka, Elina Zilliox

 

ST. LOUIS, Mo. – For the last 25-plus years, the Nike Elite 100 has served as an important step in the career of many elite prospects. From Amar’e Stoudemire to DeMarcus Cousins to Jayson Tatum to Paolo Banchero and countless other NBA stars, the Elite 100 has served as a stage where emerging prospects get their first real chance to shine in front of media and scouts in a setting where the focus is strictly on underclass talent.

Once again, Nike has assembled the top underclassmen from their Elite Youth Basketball League and on the opening night, there was no shortage of players making their mark in the Simon Recreation Center on the campus of Saint Louis University

MARCUS SPEARS JR.’S MOTOR AND GAME MATCH HIS IMPRESSIVE BLOODLINES

Already ranked No. 4 in the class of 2027, 6-foot-8 forward Marcus Spears Jr. is about as well-known as a rising high school junior can be. Given his family, it’s no surprise that he’s emerging as a big-time prospect. His father Marcus Spears, was an All-American football player at LSU before being taken in the first round of the NFL Draft, while his mother Aiysha Smith was an All-SEC basketball player before being selected No. 7 overall in the 2003 WNBA Draft.

RELATED (VIP): USA Basketball U19: Tyran Stokes, Brandon McCoy lead high school prospects to make first cut | Mikel Brown Jr., Malachi Moreno, Koa Peat impress

If that wasn’t enough, his sister Macaria Spears was selected by MaxPreps as the 2025 National Player of the Year in volleyball and is signed to play at Texas.

Fresh off a standout performance for USA Basketball’s gold medal-winning 16U squad less than two weeks ago, Spears lived up to his family legacy at the Elite 100.

Through the years, we’ve literally seen thousands of players compete at the Elite 100, and Spears is among the hardest-playing prospects we’ve ever seen. At 6-foot-8, he’s still on the lean side, but he doesn’t lack for toughness, was flying all over the court, and had the gym buzzing thanks to his seemingly endless and infectious energy.

WASHINGTON – Twelve Georgetown University standouts were named College Sports Communicators (formerly College Sports Information Directors of America) At-Large Academic All-District®, as announced by the organization. Six female and six male student-athletes from six different sports were recognized for the 2024-25 season.
 
One the women’s side, field hockey’s Elena Perez Alejandro and Sophie Towne as well as women’s lacrosse’s Lily Athanas and Emma Gebhardt had two honorees each along with Georgia Ruffolo from women’s golf and Jordan Keene from women’s rowing.
 
Men’s lacrosse had five honorees with Fulton Bayman, Aidan Carroll, Joe Cesare, Anderson Moore and Jordan Wray while Barnes Blake from men’s golf was also recognized.
 
2024-25 College Sports Communicators At-Large Academic All-District®
Lily Athanas | Senior | Women’s Lacrosse
Fulton Bayman | Graduate Student | Men’s Lacrosse
Barnes Blake | Sophomore | Men’s Golf
Aidan Carroll | Graduate Student | Men’s Lacrosse
Joe Cesare | Junior | Men’s Lacrosse
Emma Gebhardt | Senior | Women’s Lacrosse
Jordan Keene | Senior | Women’s Rowing
Anderson Moore | Sophomore | Men’s Lacrosse
Elena Perez Alejandro | Sophomore | Field Hockey
Georgia Ruffolo | Senior | Women’s Golf
Sophie Towne | Senior | Field Hockey
Jordan Wray | Junior | Men’s Lacrosse
 
The 2025 Academic All-District® Men’s At-Large Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances in the athletic realm and in the classroom. To be eligible for CSC Academic All-District® consideration, a student must be at least a sophomore with a 3.50 cumulative grade-point average and must have competed in 90% of the team’s total games played or have started 66% of the team’s total games.
 
Only student-athletes from the NCAA sponsored sports of fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, water polo, men’s volleyball, women’s beach volleyball, women’s bowling, field hockey and women’s rowing are eligible for at-large consideration. A maximum of six men’s and six women’s student-athletes may be nominated total per institution.
 
Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced on July 9.