Four MCLA Volleyball Players Earn CSC Academic All-District Honors

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.— Senior outside hitters Audrey Melson (Champlin Park, MN) and Elizabeth Brown (Lee, MA), junior setter MaKayla Schuerer (Lee, MA), and sophomore setter Addison Decaro (Eagle River, AK) have earned All-District recognition by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-American program.

This was the second CSC Academic All-American program designation for Melson and Brown, and the first for Schuerer and Decaro. They join three Men's and six Women's Soccer team members who earned the honor this fall and follow 30 athletes from the 2023-24 & 2024-25 school years. Prior to 2023, 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.

Brown was named to the MASCAC All-Conference First Team for the second straight season after sharing the team lead with the 221 kills and was second on the team with 258.5 points. The senior who recorded her 1000th dig earlier this season put up her best game in MASCAC play, tallying 17.5 points (14 kills, three aces, and an assisted block) in MCLA's 3-0 win over Anna Maria College on September 24th. Brown is a four-year member of the volleyball program and will graduate in the spring with a degree in Biology with a Pre-Veterinary concentration.

Melson was one of the senior leaders for the Trailblazers. This season she fourth on the team with 122 kills and tied for third with 16 blocks. The outside hitter was among the MASCAC leaders in kills per set (24^th at 1.61). She twice reached double-digit kills in a match, doing so with 12 kills against Framingham State on October 15^th and again on October 29^th against Westfield State with a season-high 13 kills. She had a team-high nine kills in the Trailblazers 3-0 win over NEC on September 16^th. Melson is a three-year member of the volleyball program who will graduate after this semester with a degree in Health Sciences with concentrations in Sports Medicine & Pre-Physical Therapy.

Schuerer was a key part of MCLA's rotation. This season she appeared in 23 of the Trailblazers' 25 matches and recorded 15 service aces. The serving specialist had multiple service aces in three matches (October 11^th vs Lesley, October 18^th at Nichols, and November 5^th). She also recorded a season-high of four digs in the October 11^th match with Lesley. Schuerer is a three-year member of the volleyball program and is majoring in Elementary Education.

Completing the MCLA contingent, Decaro was second on the team and eighth in the MASCAC with 311 assists, good for 3.53 assists per set. The sophomore appeared in all 25 of the Trailblazers' matches, starting in three of them. She had a season-high 25 assists against Framingham State on October 15^th and then had 23 assists in a four-set match with Westfield State on October 29^th. Decaro is a two-year member of the volleyball program who is majoring in Health Sciences.

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 44,000+ 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. (over 30,000 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)
• An Academic All-American Team Member of the Year is selected in each sport and division. (66 recipients)
• An Overall Academic All-American 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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