Women's Golf | June 25
DeKALB, Ill.—A total of nine student-athletes from Northern Illinois University have earned College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honors, with the Huskie gymnastics, wrestling, and men's and women's golf programs represented.
Blake West (Shakopee, Minn./Shakopee),
Jasmine Ly (Windsor, Ontario, Can./Holy Names High School), and
Zach Place (Roselle, Ill./Lake Park) earned their second consecutive CSC Academic All-District selections after representing the Huskies in 2023.
Kiera O'Shea (Norridge, Ill./Ridgewood) had an outstanding sophomore campaign for the Huskie gymnastics program. O'Shea earned a National Qualifying Score (NQS) of 9.885 on vault and capped off her season with a MAC Championship win with a 9.925 which tied the NIU All-Time record. In addition to anchoring the Huskies on vault, O'Shea was consistently in the bars rotation averaging a NQS of 9.675 in 2024. In the classroom, O'Shea earned a perfect GPA of 4.0 as a Nursing major.
Caroline Kent (Frisco, Texas/iUniversity Prep) was named MAC Co-Golfer of the Week on March 28 after recording her highest finish of the season, a tie for fifth at Pinetree Invitational. Kent saw action in nine tournaments for the NIU women's golf team including back-to-back top-10 finishes in February and March 2024. Kent recorded a season-low round of 69 at the NAU Red Rocks Invitational. Kent holds a 3.952 GPA in Business Administration.
Jóhanna Lúðvíksdóttir (Reykjavik, Iceland/Commercial College of Iceland) saw action in seven tournaments for the Huskies this season, playing in 19 rounds. Lúðvíksdóttir had a season-low round score of 73 at the Redbird Invitational and had her highest finish of the season at the MAC Championships. Lúðvíksdóttir maintains a 3.947 GPA in Psychology.
Ly tied the school record for lowest round with a 67 at the Johni Imes Invitational in September. Ly's highest finish this season was a tie for third place at the Redbird Invitational. Seeing action in all ten tournaments for the Huskies, Ly carded an average of 74.03 strokes per round. Ly earned MAC Golfer of the Week honors twice this season, including co-golfer of the week honors with Kent following a tie for fifth at the Pinetree Invitational.
Sydney Naro (Toronto, Ontario, Canada/Hills International Golf Academy)) had a season low round of 70 at the Redbird Invitational and have five straight top-15 finishes to end the season. Naro had her best finish of the season at the MAC Championships, finishing in a tie for eighth. Naro averaged 75.58 strokes per round for the Huskies this season, with 28 rounds of golf played. Naro had a 3.861 GPA as she completed her master's degree in Business Administration.
Emily Romancew (Pierrefonds, Quebec, Canada/Ecole Secondaire Des Sources) won the NAU Red Rocks Invitational in March and recorded a season low round of 69 at the Pat Bradley Invite. Romancew saw action in all 10 tournaments for the Huskies, averaging 74.01 strokes per round. Romancew earned MAC Golfer of the Week honors following her victory in Arizona. Romancew led the Huskies at the 2024 MAC Championship with a seventh-place finish. Romancew graduated this spring with a degree in Mechanical Engineering, owning a 3.753 GPA.
Place was named MAC Golfer of the Week on Oct. 12 after leading the NIU men's golf team with a fourth-place finish at the Purdue Fall Invitational. He posted a career-low 54-hole score of six-under par 207. Place was NIU's top finisher in its 2023 MAC Championship win, tying for fifth place to earn a spot on the All-Tournament Team. He was also the Huskies' top finisher at the NCAA Regional that season, tying for 14th at nine-under par. Place maintained a 3.953 GPA and earned his master's degree this spring in Digital Marketing.
Tommy Bennett (Evergreen Park, Ill./Brother Rice) took eighth at the MAC Championships at 165 pounds, getting a record of 9-19 during the season. Bennett became a mainstay at 165 pounds for the Huskies, going 3-8 in duals and 2-6 against MAC opponents. Bennett claimed victories of Rider's Jake Silverstein and Central Michigan's Tyler Swiderski as the Huskies won the MAC West Division for the first time since the divisions were created. Bennett holds a 3.783 GPA in Kinesiology.
West placed second at the MAC Championships at 125 pounds and represented the Huskies at the 2024 NCAA National Championships. West compiled four major decisions, six technical falls, and six falls this season. Starting the season off, West went 17-2 before placing sixth at the annual Ken Kraft Midlands Championships. West had an eight-match win streak throughout the months of January and February. West was named the MAC Scholar-Athlete of the Week on January 17 and helped the Huskies to their first undefeated season at home in 43 years. West maintained a 3.823 in the Chemistry for Preprofessional program.
The 2024 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. A student-athlete must maintain a 3.50 cumulative grade point average and meet the athletic criteria based on their sport.
