Senior center Sam Greenawalt (Riverside, CA) of the University of Redlands women’s water polo team and Bulldog women’s lacrosse’s senior midfielder Lauren Matta (Holyoke, MA) both earned a spot on the ESPN The Magazine/College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District VIII At-Large Second Team for the College Division, according to an announcement made today by CoSIDA.
Greenawalt, who boasts a 3.53 GPA as a Communicative Disorders major, enters the ranks of the Academic All-District honorees for the first time in her collegiate career. An outstanding student, she earned the Redlands Scholar-Athlete honor this year, which is bestowed upon those that possess a GPA of at least a 3.5.
In the pool, Greenawalt has been a mainstay in the Bulldogs’ offensive attack throughout her four years, finishing out her tenure ranked fourth all-time in career goals (255).
This past season, she helped lead the team to the Collegiate III Women’s Water Polo National Championship title game. Greenawalt also garnered First-Team All-Southern California Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SCIAC) honors and gained a selection to the Collegiate III Women’s Water Polo National Championship All-Tournament First Team. She scored a team-high 74 goals this year while also adding team-highs in assists (29) and field blocks (15). Greenawalt also supplied 30 steals and 35 ejections drawn.
Matta owns a 3.70 GPA as an Accounting major, and her selection to the Academic All-District team marks the second time she has received this honor. A three-time Redlands Scholar-Athlete, she has continuously personified the ideals of a true student-athlete, boasting both academic and athletic excellence.
Matta, who also earned an Academic All-District nod in 2008, has proven to be one of the most potent offensive threats in program history. She owns career program records in ground balls (198) and draw controls (169) and also ranks second all-time in goals (100). This past season, Matta produced the team’s second-highest totals in goals (27), points (30) and draw controls (53) while also adding three assists, 30 ground balls and 13 caused turnovers.
Both Greenawalt and Matta were chosen through the At-Large program, which includes all student-athletes in varsity sports that do not have a designated CoSIDA nomination process. These sports include women’s bowling, women’s crew, men’s and women’s fencing, women’s field hockey, men’s and women’s golf, men’s and women’s gymnastics, men’s and women’s ice hockey, men’s and women’s lacrosse, men’s and women’s skiing, men’s and women’s swimming, men’s and women’s tennis, men’s volleyball, men’s and women’s water polo and men’s wrestling.
CoSIDA’s District VIII includes institutions located in Alaska, Arizona, California, Hawaii, Idaho, Nevada, Oregon, Utah and Washington in addition to those located in the Canadian provinces of British Columbia and the Yukon. The College Division includes all non-NCAA Division I institutions in the district.
All nominees must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.30 and participate in 50 percent of their team’s games to be nominated. The CoSIDA Academic All-District teams, which are presented by ESPN The Magazine, are voted on by members of CoSIDA.
