MCLA’s Bluestein Earns CSC Academic All-District Honors

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.— Junior guard Jake Bluestein (San Diego, CA) has earned All-District recognition by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-American program.

This is the second time Bluestein has won this honor. He joins six men's soccer, six women's soccer, four volleyball team members announced in the fall, and nine athletes from the 2023-24 school year. Prior to last season, no MCLA athlete had been honored by CSC since 2019, when softball outfielder Kaitlyn Berghela was named to the Academic All-American Division III third team.

A member of the 2024-25 Winter MASCAC Sportsmanship team, Bluestein was frequently the first person to enter from Coach Derek Shell's bench, providing a spark with a key three-pointer or perimeter jump shot. The junior's best game was far and away the home matchup with Bridgewater State when he set a career high with 25 points on the back of an 8-14 performance beyond the three-point line. Another big showing by the shooting guard was the December 10^th game at Elms College as he scored 13 points in only twelve minutes off the bench to help power the Trailblazers to an 88-69 road win. Bluestein is a three-year member of the men's basketball team and is majoring in Music, Industry, and Production.

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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