Three MCLA Athletes Earn CSC Academic All-District Honors

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.— Women's Ice Hockey junior forward Brigh Cote (Tewksbury, MA) and Men's Ice Hockey sophomore defensemen Matt Castillo (Ozone Park, NY) and Connor Nagy (Trenton, MI) have earned All-District recognition by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-American program.

This was the first time Cote, Castillo, or Nagy earned a CSC Academic All-American program designation, a rare and prestigious honor. Along with soccer players Alyssa Porter and Tyler Cotting, volleyball players Ellie Walter-Goodspeed, Chloie Garber, Elizabeth Brown, and Audrey Melson, basketball players Jacob Bluestein and Jaxen Potter, and softball players Justina Pardi, Maggie Closinski, and Kristie Zator who were announced previously. This year's recognitions were the first recognition for an MCLA athlete by CSC since 2019, when softball outfielder Kaitlyn Berghela was named to the Academic All-American Division III third team.

A vocal team leader willing to do whatever the team needed for success, Cote appeared in 24 of the Trailblazers' 25 games, including five starts. She scored two goals this season, including the MCLA's final regular season goal, adding an insurance goal in the Trailblazers 3-1 victory over Rivier University. Cote was also involved in the first goal of the MCLA women's hockey program history when she was credited with assisting Carlen Bertrand's goal in the Trailblazers' 6-1 loss to Wilkes University. Cote is also a three-sport athlete, having participated in the cross-country season and as an outfielder for the softball team.

A sophomore transfer who came to MCLA following the closure of Finlandia University, Nagy was one of the more experienced members of the MCLA Men's Hockey program. He appeared in 24 of the Trailblazers' 25 games, starting in 13. His five assists and six points both were second among the MCLA defensemen. In the Trailblazers' season opener against Fitchburg State, Nagy scored the first goal in more than 20 years for MCLA following its reinstatement this season and then added on an assist later in the game that ended as a 2-2 stalemate. He followed that up with an assist in the Trailblazers' next game, a 4-3 win over Rivier University.

Rounding out the trio for the Trailblazers, Castillo appeared in all 25 of MCLA's games, starting in 6 of them. The defender known as "Pipes" is the second of only three members of the Trailblazers team with any previous NCAA experience. Due to his tenacious manner on the ice, he was frequently matched up with the opponent's top line and still offered one of MCLA's better +/- numbers. Castillo is also a multi-sport athlete and member of the baseball team.

Per the College Sports Communicators (previously known as COSIDA) website, the Academic All-American is a title reserved for college student-athletes who perform at an elite level in their chosen sport and in the classroom. The all-time list of 40,000+ Academic All-Americans includes major sports stars and some of the world's most accomplished individuals in medicine, business, science, and the arts. Established in 1952 and selected by College Sports Communicators, Academic All-America is the longest-running and premier award for athletic and academic success across championship college sports at all NCAA levels, the NAIA, two-year colleges, and Canadian institutions. Teams are announced year-round and amplified by CSC member colleges, universities, and conferences on a wide local, regional, national, and even international scope.

To be eligible for consideration, student-athletes must demonstrate the best traits of a student-athlete, both on and off the playing field. Among the requirements are:

• Outstanding student-athletes are nominated for Academic All-District® recognition by communications directors and must have a minimum 3.50 GPA and meet high athletic standards. (25,000+ nominations annually)
• A select group of student-athletes advances to the national ballot, where CSC members vote on Academic All-America teams. (approximately 2,000 selections annually)
• A Team Member of the Year is selected in each sport and division. (66 recipients)
• An overall Academic All-America of the Year is selected as the top student-athlete across all sports in each NCAA and NAIA division. (4 recipients)

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