MCLA’s Albright and Johansen Earn CSC Academic All-District Honors

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.— Senior utility player Ezmeralda Albright (Loves Park, IL) and sophomore pitcher Juliana Johansen (Pittsfield, MA) have earned All-District recognition by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-American program.

This is the first time Johansen has been honored, while it is the second time Albright has won this recognition this year, having previously been honored as part of the volleyball team. They join the three other volleyball, six men's soccer, six women's soccer team members announced in the fall, one men's basketball team member announced after the winter season, 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 steadying force in the circle for the Trailblazers, Johansen led the team in appearances (25), games started (17), wins (8), complete games (10), innings pitched (103.2), and strike outs (32). The sophomore returned to the field after a year away and stepped right into the Trailblazers' ace role. Nothing showed the importance that Johansen meant to her team this season more than her performance in a doubleheader against eventual MASCAC champion Worcester State on April 2^nd. She pitched all nine innings in an extra inning 6-5 win for the Trailblazers in game #1 before pitching the final inning and a third of game #2 as MCLA won the both games in walk-off fashion. Johansen just finished her first season with the Trailblazer softball program and is majoring in business.

Already recognized as the MASCAC Defensive Player of the Year and a member of the All-MASCAC first team for Volleyball, Albright stepped into an important role for the Trailblazers in 2025, frequently combining with Johansen to form the battery for MCLA. Splitting her time between catcher and designated player, Albright played in 29 of the Trailblazers 34 games, starting in 24 of them. She went 3-3 at the plate with a double and a pair of stolen bases and two runs driven in against Bay Path University on April 10^th. During MCLA's 15-4 win over St. Norbert College on March 18^th, Albright again drove in two runs while scoring two more as part of a 2-4 showing at the plate. The senior was a four-year member of the softball team and graduated earlier this month with a double degree in Health Sciences and Psychology.

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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