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2024-25 Academic All-America® Teams and Honorees
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Four standouts earn Overall Academic All-American of the Year Honors for Division I, II, III and NAIA
Gretchen Walsh, Brayden Long, Hope Shue and Tyler Horner earn 2024-25 Overall Academic All-America® of the Year honors for NCAA Division I, II, III and NAIA
Overall Academic All-America® of the Year: PDF |
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AUSTIN, Texas – University of Virginia women’s swimmer
Gretchen Walsh, Slippery Rock University football quarterback
Brayden Long, Middlebury College women’s lacrosse attacker
Hope Shue, and Oregon Institute of Technology (Oregon Tech) baseball catcher
Tyler Horner have been named the overall 2024-25 Academic All-Americans® of the Year for Division I, Division II, Division III, and NAIA, respectively, as selected by College Sports Communicators (CSC).
Walsh, Long, Shue and Horner each become their school’s first student-athletes to receive the honor at their respective institutions. Walsh joins Team USA swimming teammate
Katie Ledecky (Stanford, Women’s At-Large/Swimming, 2018) as an Academic All-American® of the Year recipient. Shue is the first women’s lacrosse player to win an Academic All-American® of the Year award and the second lacrosse player overall. Horner is the first NAIA baseball player to win an Academic All-American® of the Year honor and the fourth overall becoming the first since 2014-15.
NCAA Division I
Gretchen Walsh, who is a commerce major with a 3.85 GPA, is the Division I Academic All-American® of the Year. She was named the 2024-25 Collegiate Woman Athlete of the Year and presented the prestigious Honda Cup at the Collegiate Women Sports Awards (CWSA) ceremony in June. The senior from Nashville, Tennessee, repeated as champion in three individual races and as part of four relays at the 2025 NCAA Division I National Championships. She won her fourth consecutive 100-yard freestyle title, breaking her own NCAA and American record in the event with a time of 44.71 seconds. Walsh also captured NCAA titles in the 50-yard freestyle and 100-yard butterfly in leading Virginia to its fifth consecutive NCAA championship. Walsh ended her career going 16-for-16 in NCAA relays, swimming on victorious relays in all 16 events she competed in over four years. A win in the 400-yard freestyle relay on the final night of the 2025 NCAA Championship capped the feat. She also swam on the winning 200-yard freestyle relay and the 200- and 400-yard medley relays. She was named the College Swimming & Diving Coaches Association of America Women’s Swimmer of the Year for the second consecutive time in 2024-25. She finished her career with 25 NCAA titles, including nine in individual events, and 28 All-America honors. Walsh set 11 world records (nine individual, two relay) and won seven world titles (five individual, two relay) at the 2024 World Aquatics 25m Championships and was named the Best Female Swimmer. Walsh represented the U.S. at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, winning gold as part of world record-setting 400-meter and mixed 400-meter relays. She earned a silver medal in the 100-yard butterfly after breaking the Olympic record in the preliminaries and as part of the 400-meter freestyle relay.
Said University of Virginia Women’s Swimmer Gretchen Walsh:
“Thank you to College Sports Communicators for recognizing me as the Academic All-American of the Year. It has been an incredible honor to compete for the Cavaliers over the past four years and to represent the University of Virginia as a whole. I take great pride in having earned my degree from UVA’s McIntire School of Commerce and am truly humbled that my academic efforts have been recognized with this prestigious honor.”
Said University of Virginia Head Swimming Coach Todd DeSorbo:
“I am fortunate to have been able to witness firsthand the greatness of Gretchen. Her reputation in the pool precedes her, but knowing her personally, as great an athlete as she is, she’s equally a great student and a great person. Being the first ever student-athlete from Virginia and the ACC to win this award just goes along with all the other barriers she’s broken through the past few years. It’s great to see her get acknowledgement for more than just being a great athlete, as she has achieved excellence in the classroom as well!”
Said University of Virginia Director of Athletics Carla Williams:
“Congratulations to Gretchen on this incredible honor. She exemplifies what it means to be a student-athlete at the University of Virginia. Gretchen is one of the greatest collegiate swimmers ever, a champion in and out of the pool, and a standout student at the McIntire School of Commerce. Being named Academic All-American of the Year across all sports is a fitting tribute to her athletic and academic dedication and excellence."
Said ACC Commissioner Jim Phillips, Ph.D.:
"Congratulations to Gretchen Walsh on being awarded the prestigious CSC Division I Academic All-American of the Year. Her remarkable achievements in the pool, in the classroom and in the community, as well as her dedication to excellence have made her one of the most decorated student-athletes in ACC and NCAA swimming history.”
NCAA Division II
Slippery Rock quarterback
Brayden Long has been named the Academic All-American® of the Year for Division II. Long ranked third in Division II this fall in passing yards (3,470), ninth in passing touchdowns (28) and 10th in points responsible for (208) while leading Slippery Rock to the Super Region One title and a trip to the national semifinals. He was one of the eight national finalists for the Harlon Hill Trophy for the second year in a row and earned All-America honors in 2024. Long posted a 24-5 overall record as the SRU starting quarterback, which included a 5-2 record in the NCAA playoffs with trips to at least the national quarterfinals in each year he was a starter. Off the field, the Hanover, Pennsylvania, native was the lone Division II national finalist for the 2024 William V. Campbell Trophy.
Long was just hired last week as a full-time assistant coach at Shippensburg University, where he will be coaching quarterbacks and wide receivers. He previously spent time working as an offensive analyst and coaching quarterbacks at Towson University from January through July after finishing his time at Slippery Rock.
Said Slippery Rock University Quarterback Brayden Long:
“I want to thank College Sports Communicators for selecting me for this honor and especially want to thank our athletic communication staff at SRU for all they do for our student-athletes and all they have done for me personally. It means a great deal to be recognized not only for accomplishments on the field, but for performance in the classroom and in the community. Slippery Rock is a truly special place, and I could not have chosen a better place to play and study during my career. I want to thank my coaches, my teammates, my professors and the administration at SRU for making it such a special place. Football has given me so much and I am thrilled that I will be able to give back to the game and the next generation of student-athletes through coaching moving forward.”
Said Slippery Rock University Head Football Coach Shawn Lutz:
“Brayden is the kind of special student-athlete that does not come along very often. He was a tremendous leader and role model for our football program and for Slippery Rock University in the way that he carried himself on and off the field. I am glad that he is being recognized not only for being one of the very best football players in the country, but also for being such a remarkable young man off the field. He continues to make us proud in the way he represents himself and our program and we can’t wait to watch him develop into a terrific coach.”
NCAA Division III
The Division III Academic All-American® of the Year honor adds to a crowded trophy case for
Hope Shue. A senior from Dover, Massachusetts, Shue graduated with a bachelor’s degree in neuroscience and a perfect 4.00 GPA this spring. She helped Middlebury win the 2025 NCAA Division III national championship in lacrosse, the Panthers’ fourth consecutive NCAA crown. In 2025, Shue won her second IWLCA National Player and Attacker of the Year, and NESCAC Offensive Player of the Year awards. She was named the NCAA tournament’s Most Outstanding Player and was a member of the all-tournament squad for the third time. Shue is the second women’s lacrosse player across all NCAA divisions to earn the Elite 90 Award three times. She joined former North Dakota State and NFL quarterback Carson Wentz as the only athletes to win that honor three times and help their teams claim four consecutive NCAA Championships. Shue also helped Middlebury win a pair of NESCAC titles and post an 89-2 record. Shue ended her career as the program’s all-time leader in goals (306) and points (391). She is the Division III all-time leader with 79 goals during NCAA postseason play.
Said Middlebury College Women’s Lacrosse Attacker Hope Shue:
“I am so honored to be named this year’s CSC Division III Academic All-American of the Year. I am incredibly grateful to my teammates, coaches, and trainers from the past four years who were there for me every step of the way. Middlebury Women’s Lacrosse is a special program that has pushed me to be a better teammate, player, and person. This honor is truly a reflection of my entire team and the culture that our coaches and alumni have managed to cultivate.”
Said Middlebury College Head Women’s Lacrosse Coach Kate Livesay:
"Hope has modeled excellence in every sense of the word since she arrived at Middlebury. She has trained and competed with the highest standards of discipline and commitment, inspiring and elevating her teammates every step of the way. Her academic pursuits have revealed this same level of intense devotion to achievement. Her recognition as the Division III Academic All-American of the Year is a true testament to her incredible work ethic and investment in the Middlebury community. We are so proud of her efforts!"
Said Middlebury College Assistant Director of Athletics Ali Paquette:
"I am thrilled for Hope to be honored with what I believe is the most prestigious award for combining academic and athletic excellence. It is extra special for me, a longtime CSC member and board advisor, to have Hope be Middlebury’s first CSC Division III Academic All-American of the Year. While Hope is outstanding on the lacrosse field and in the classroom, what many people don’t know is how hard-working, humble, and kind she is. This award is a true testament to all of Hope’s accomplishments over her career as a Panther, and I cannot think of a more deserving person."
NAIA
NAIA Academic All-American® of the Year
Tyler Horner, from Twin Falls, Idaho, is a senior mechanical engineering major with a 4.00 cumulative GPA. He earned his second consecutive NAIA Baseball Academic All-America® TMOY accolade. Horner was named an ABCA NAIA All-American and made history as being the second-ever Oregon Tech player to earn the distinction twice. He led OIT to its first-ever NAIA tournament appearance. He earned the Cascade Conference Player of the Year honor and was named OIT’s all-sports Player of the Year and the school’s male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The four-year starter ended his OIT career as the all-time leader in hits (303), doubles (69), home runs (40), RBI (208), and walks (122), establishing new Cascade Conference records for hits, doubles, and RBI in a career. This season, Horner hit .399 with 13 home runs, 21 doubles, and 66 RBI. Horner is playing in the collegiate baseball Northwoods League with the Kenosha Kingfish this summer. He will continue his playing career with Seattle University, using his grad transfer extra year of eligibility rule to help his draft stock for next year.
Said Oregon Institute of Technology Catcher Tyler Horner:
“When I got to OIT, one of the first things I had to learn was time management – especially being in the engineering field. It’s great to see all the hard work in the classroom and on the diamond pay off. I am extremely humbled to earn this award. When I saw the list of previous winners, it was eye opening. I’m looking forward to heading to Seattle U this fall to pursue a business degree and continue the dream of playing professional baseball.”
Said Oregon Institute of Technology Head Baseball Coach Ricky Walker:
“Tyler Horner is a player who will be remembered for years and years to come. He was an integral part of turning our program around – as a leader on and off the field. His ability to be a standout in the classroom in a difficult academic field and post a 4.00 GPA, while breaking nearly every offensive record in our program’s history showcases who he is. The leadership he provided our team was the epitome of what Oregon Tech Baseball is. In this day and age of collegiate sports, where players bounce from team to team, division to division, for us to have Tyler in our program for four years and have him set the standard of Hustlin’ Owls baseball – it was a blessing and an honor. This is a tremendous achievement and award, and I couldn’t be happier for him.”
Behind the 2024-25 Academic All-America Teams
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Jeff Schwartz, Retired, North Dakota State University | Academic All-America® Co-Director for Publicity
Schwartzy2@yahoo.com | (701) 793-0538