Spartanburg, S.C. – Western Carolina University was well represented on the 2025 Spring Southern Conference Academic All-Conference team as the league announced its spring semester academic awards list today with 42 Catamounts earning placements. The spring honorees join the 46 student-athletes who collected Fall Academic All-SoCon accolades back in January for the Fall of 2024.
A combined 500 student-athletes across the SoCon's 10 full-member institutions and nine affiliate members were named to the spring academic all-conference list which included representation from men's and women's basketball, men's and women's indoor track and field, rifle, wrestling, men's and women's golf, men's and women's outdoor track and field, men's and women's tennis, baseball, and softball.
To be eligible, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.3 cumulative grade point average at the end of the semester of competition and have completed at least three semesters academically. The student-athlete must have also competed in at least one-half of the team's competitions.
The Catamount baseball team led the way in total representation with nine players earning Academic All-SoCon. Led by Taylor Waitley's 4.0 GPA, the softball team was second with eight honorees, followed by the women's track and field team that placed seven on the prestigious academic list.
Six of the eight members of the 2024-25 Catamount women's tennis team landed on the Academic All-SoCon team, the top mark in terms of team percentage. Men's track and field earned four honors, three of which came from the Catamount multi's squad, while the women's golf team earned three spots. The men's golf team and women's basketball team both earned two nods each, with the men's basketball team closing out the Catamount academic honorees with Marcus Kell.
Additionally, on Tuesday, the Southern Conference announced its 2024-25 Academic Honor Roll recipients, with 202 Western Carolina student-athletes earning the academic plaudit. Of the 202, 57 Catamounts earned the prestigious Commissioner's Medal, with 25 of those boasting an annual 4.0 GPA.
The Southern Conference had 288 student-athletes record a GPA of 4.0, and 846 received the Commissioner's Medal for the 2024-25 academic year. The conference also had 2,734 student-athletes earn placements on its honor roll, the highest total since the academic honor was first distributed in 1989.
Through 2024-25, a total of 42 Catamount student-athletes collected College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honors this year, with three women's golfers – Annalee Caveney, Elizabeth Lohbauer, and Sadler Miller – each earning WGCA All-American Scholars accolades. Naya Marcil and Isabella DeMarco both collected United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-South Region plaudits back in the fall.
2025 Commissioner's Medal Recipients (* – 4.0 Student-Athletes):
Becca Campbell * – Women's Soccer – English Education and English
AC Carter * – Women's Basketball – Sport Management
John Davis * – Men's Cross Country/Track & Field – Electrical Engineering/Philosophy
Bethany Dobias * – Softball – Integrated Health Sciences
Madelynn Duffield * – Women's Cross Country/Track & Field – Masters in Business Admin
Erika Gariepy * – Women's Soccer - Engineering
Jade Groen * – Women's Tennis – Criminal Justice
Bailey Hartsough * – Women's Volleyball – Integrated Health Sciences
Ollie Henderson * – Women's Volleyball – Elementary Education
Matthew Keener * – Football – Integrated Health Science
Sara Klemm * – Women's Cross Country/Track & Field – Elementary Education
Hannah Kline * – Women's Track & Field - Psychology
Hannah Kliner * – Women's Track & Field – Integrated Health Sciences
Makenzie Martin * – Softball – Integrated Health Sciences
Rylie Niemeyer * – Women's Soccer – Integrated Health Sciences
Madison Schwarz * – Women's Tennis - Communication
Halley Tang * – Women's Volleyball – Integrated Health Sciences
Leanne Trudel * – Women's Soccer – Emergency Medical Care
Reagan Trumm * – Women's Basketball – Communication Science Disorders
Samantha Vibberts * – Women's Soccer – Integrated Health Sciences
Jennifer Wagner * – Women's Track & Field – Elementary Education
Taylor Waitley * – Softball – Biology and Forensic Science
Samantha Whitaker * – Women's Soccer – Finance/Accounting
Bennett Whitefield * – Men's Track & Field - Biology
Trevor Williams * – Men's Track & Field – Integrated Health Sciences
Lily Bell – Softball – Business Admin & Law and Marketing
Andrew Korytoski – Men's Golf – Integrated Health Sciences
Courtney Marks – Softball – Management and Marketing
Avery Mays – Women's Cross Country/Track & Field – Elementary Education
Paddy McGonigal – Baseball - Management
Sadler Miller – Women's Golf/Track & Field – Interior Design
Anne Perreault – Women's Soccer – Management
Erin Stack – Women's Basketball – Elementary Education
Peri Subat – Women's Volleyball – Accounting and Finance
Steven Hamby – Football – Integrated Health Science
Andrea Redondo – Women's Tennis – Marketing/Sport Management
Emma Soucy – Women's Soccer – Integrated Health Sciences
AJ Colombo – Football – Finance
Kaden Fuller – Baseball – Integrated Health Sciences
Natalie Henry – Softball – Marketing and Management
Bella Hilleary – Women's Track & Field - Communication
Sydney Lowe – Women's Cross Country/Track & Field – Biology
Peyton Skoglund – Women's Cross Country/Track & Field – Electrical Engineering
Lucie Bertrand – Women's Soccer - Marketing
Carson Brown – Men's Basketball – Integrated Health Sciences
Miranda Watts – Women's Track & Field – Integrated Health Sciences
Mabry Bumgarner – Football – Integrated Health Sciences
Landey Green – Women's Cross Country/Track & Field - Psychology
Jasmine Greene – Women's Track & Field – Integrated Health Sciences
Christian Roberts – Men's Track & Field – Construction Management
Chloe Schwarz – Women's Tennis – Integrated Health Sciences
Griffin Guinther – Baseball – Construction Management
Shaneil Lysight – Women's Track & Field - Engineering
Ava Robitaille – Women's Soccer - Art-Graphic Design
Sydney Dirks – Softball - Psychology
Marissa Watts – Women's Track & Field - Biology
Eda Yalçinkaya – Women's Volleyball – Business Administration & Law
Academic All-Southern Conference Winter/Spring Honorees (by sport):
Baseball:
Owen Austin – Business Administration and Law
Hayden Friese – Business Administration and Law
Griffin Guinther – Construction Management
Brandon Langley – Psychology
Cannon Pickell – Health Sciences
Dusty Revis – Management
Jack Spyke – Finance
Wyatt Stanley – Health and Physical Education
Trent Turner – Finance
Men's Basketball:
Marcus Kell – Construction Management
Men's Golf:
Jace Butcher – Management and Finance
Andrew Korytoski – Integrated Health Sciences
Men's Track & Field:
Dakota Braucher – Integrated Health Sciences
Colby Capps – Construction Management
Austin Cline – Management
Ethan Hibberts – Construction Management
Softball:
Lily Bell – Business Administration and Law
Sydney Dirks – Psychology
Natalie Henry – Marketing
Makenzie Martin – Integrated Health Sciences
Mattie Mentel – Natural Resource Conservation Management
Tate Stewman – Business Administration and Law/Marketing
Taylor Waitley – Forensic Science
Becka Wonsick – Integrated Health Sciences
Women's Basketball:
Tyja Beans - Biology
Reagan Trumm – Communication Science Disorders
Women's Golf:
Elizabeth Lohbauer – Nutrition/Dietetics
Sadler Miller – Interior Design
Kaitlyn Wingnean – Chemistry
Women's Track & Field:
Leah Butler – Integrated Health Sciences
Bella Hilleary – Communication
Shaneil Lysight – Engineering
Toria Roundtree – Political Science
Millie Simmons – Psychology
Raelyn Vadala – Criminal Justice
Jennifer Wagner – Elementary Education
Women's Tennis:
Jade Groen – Criminal Justice
Angela Perez – Sport Management
Andrea Redondo – Marketing and Sport Management
Isabella Sambola – Psychology
Madison Schwarz – Communication
Chloe Schwarz – Integrated Health Sciences
