Seven Waves Receive CSC Academic All-District At-Large Honors

MALIBU, Calif. – Pepperdine Athletics had seven student-athletes from three different programs earn College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District At-Large honors, as announced today by CSC.

The Waves who received recognition included beach volleyball’s Kate Clermont, Marley Johnson, McKenna Thomas and Deanie Woodruff; men’s volleyball’s Gabe Dyer and James Eadie; and water polo’s Dane Howell. 

The 2024-25 Academic All-District® Men’s and Women’s At-Large teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances in competition and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program also separately recognizes at-large honorees in five divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, NAIA, and the College Division.

The at-large program includes all NCAA sports that do not have their own sport-specific program eligible for athletes to be recognized. CSC has academic programs for soccer, women’s volleyball, football, basketball, swimming & diving, tennis, softball, baseball and track & field/cross country.

BEACH VOLLEYBALL

Kate Clermont (Burlington, Ontario, Canada) earned the at-large honor following her senior campaign after three straight seasons (2023-25) as a WCC All-Academic Team and All-WCC First Team honoree. Clermont achieved a 3.856 cumulative GPA across her four years as a liberal studies for education major at Pepperdine. She logged a 24-9 record at the No. 1 position for the Waves this past season alongside Thomas while moving into second place overall in program career pair wins with 58 and fifth in all-time wins with 92.

Marley Johnson (Stuart, Fla.) joined the Waves as a graduate student ahead of the 2025 season and achieved a 4.0 GPA while obtaining her master’s in global business. Johnson amassed 13 victories on the sand this past season competing primarily at the No. 4 position.

McKenna Thomas (Laguna Niguel, Calif.) capped her career as a three-time WCC All-Academic and All-WCC First Team selection. She earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology in three years before enrolling in the university’s master’s in business program, where she maintained a 4.0 GPA. Thomas also ranks second in career pair wins (58, alongside Clermont) and fourth in total wins (94) in program history.

Deanie Woodruff (Point Loma, Calif.) came to the Waves as a transfer from Arizona State ahead of the 2025 season and achieved a 3.854 GPA in the biology program in her first year at Pepperdine. During her redshirt freshman campaign, Woodruff totaled 15 wins for the Waves with 11 coming on court four as she also tabbed a victory in the WCC Tournament.

MEN’S VOLLEYBALL

Gabe Dyer (San Clemente, Calif.) maintained a 3.85 GPA during his graduate year in the real estate program at Pepperdine after transferring from UC San Diego. As the team’s primary setter, Dyer helped lead the Waves to the NCAA Semifinals and ranked top-10 in the nation with 1,072 total assists.

James Eadie (Newport Beach, Calif.) holds a 3.592 cumulative GPA in the sport administration program at Pepperdine through three academic years. Eadie ranked fourth on the team in both kills (129) and points (184) during his redshirt sophomore season in 2025 which saw the Waves win the WCC Championship and reach the NCAA Semifinals.

WATER POLO

Dane Howell (Huntington Beach, Calif.) recorded a 3.671 cumulative GPA in the sociology program as a Wave after joining the program in 2023 from Orange Coast College. Howell posted 23 goals and nine assists to go along with nine steals as he recorded multiple goals in seven games for the Waves during his senior season. He is set to return to the pool in 2025 as a graduate student at Pepperdine with the Waves set to open the season at the Triton Invite in San Diego from Aug. 30-31.