Bringing you news and notes coming from the American Athletic Conference in women's sports from both the athletic field and in the classroom as soon as news breaks For a specific sport please see that specific page 8/9/24
American Athletic Conference 2023-24 Team Excellence Awards and All-Academic Team
AAC Commissioner Tim Pernetti has announced the names of the 3,532 student-athletes who have been selected to the 2023-24 American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team as well as the winners of The American’s Team Academic Excellence Awards.
Nominations for the All-Academic Team are submitted by each of the American Athletic Conference’s member institutions. To be eligible for the honor, a nominee must have competed in an American Athletic Conference-sponsored sport, attained a minimum grade-point average of 3.00 for the preceding academic year, and completed a minimum of two consecutive semesters or three consecutive quarters of academic work, with a total of 18 semester or 27 quarter credits, not including remedial courses.
The 3,532 All-Academic selections shatters the previous conference record of 3,299 selections from the 2019-20 season.
“Congratulations to all of our remarkable student-athletes who earned their place on the American Athletic Conference All-Academic Team,” said Pernetti. “Our conference and its elite university membership keeps the true mission of education through sport in focus and emphasizes the balance of competing at the highest level in the classroom and in sport. We are so proud to have a record number of All-Academic selections, which is a testament to the hard work and dedication of our exceptional student-athletes.”
The Team Academic Excellence Award winners were chosen based on the 2023-24 grade-point average of each student-athlete who appeared on an institution’s roster at the end of the academic year.
Rice had five teams earn Team Academic Excellence Awards in 2023-24 to lead all American Athletic Conference institutions. Two teams that won American Athletic Conference championships in the 2023-24 academic year earned their respective sport’s Team Academic Excellence Award - East Carolina’s baseball team won The American’s regular-season title, Charlotte’s softball team was the conference’s regular-season and tournament championships.
2023-24 American Athletic Conference Team Academic Excellence Awards
Women’s Basketball Charlotte
Women’s Cross Country SMU
Women’s Golf East Carolina
Women’s Lacrosse Temple
Women’s Rowing Tulsa
Women’s Soccer Charlotte
Softball Charlotte
Women’s Swimming and Diving North Texas
Women’s Tennis East Carolina
Women’s Indoor Track and Field Rice
Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Rice
Women’s Volleyball Charlotte
Team Academic Excellence Awards
The American Athletic Conference annually recognizes in the team in each conference-sponsored sport with the highest grade-point average from the preceding academic year. Calculations are based on all student-athletes on the team roster as of the last contest of the championship segment.
Women’s Basketball
2013-14 UCF
2014-15 UConn
2015-16 UConn
2016-17 USF
2017-18 USF
2018-19 SMU
2019-20 Cincinnati
2020-21 Tulsa
2021-22 Cincinnati
2022-23 Cincinnati
2023-24 Charlotte
Women’s Cross Country
2013-14 Memphis
2014-15 Memphis
2015-16 Memphis
2016-17 Temple
2017-18 Memphis
2018-19 Temple
2019-20 Memphis, SMU
2020-21 SMU
2021-22 SMU
2022-23 SMU
2023-24 SMU
Women’s Golf
2013-14 Louisville
2014-15 Memphis
2015-16 East Carolina
2016-17 East Carolina
2017-18 East Carolina
2018-19 East Carolina
2019-20 Cincinnati
2020-21 Cincinnati
2021-22 South Florida
2022-23 East Carolina
2023-24 East Carolina
Women’s Lacrosse
2018-19 Cincinnati
2019-20 Temple
2020-21 Cincinnati, Temple
2021-22 Cincinnati
2022-23 Cincinnati
2023-24 Temple
Women’s Rowing
2013-14 Louisville
2014-15 Temple
2015-16 Tulsa
2016-17 SMU
2017-18 Tulsa
2018-19 UCF
2019-20 UCF
2020-21 Temple
2021-22 Temple
2022-23 UCF
2023-24 Tulsa
Women’s Soccer
2013-14 Memphis
2014-15 Memphis
2015-16 Memphis
2016-17 Memphis
2017-18 Memphis
2018-19 Cincinnati
2019-20 Memphis
2020-21 Cincinnati
2021-22 Memphis
2022-23 Memphis
2023-24 Charlotte
Softball
2013-14 Houston
2014-15 UCF
2015-16 USF
2016-17 Houston
2017-18 Houston
2018-19 USF
2019-20 UCF
2020-21 UCF, Houston, Tulsa
2021-22 UCF
2022-23 Wichita State
2023-24 Charlotte
Women’s Swimming and Diving
2013-14 SMU
2014-15 Tulane
2015-16 Cincinnati
2016-17 SMU
2017-18 SMU
2018-19 Cincinnati
2019-20 Tulane
2020-21 Cincinnati
2021-22 Cincinnati
2022-23 Houston
2023-24 North Texas
Women’s Tennis
2013-14 Memphis
2014-15 Cincinnati
2015-16 UCF
2016-17 Memphis
2017-18 East Carolina
2018-19 Cincinnati
2019-20 Cincinnati
2020-21 Cincinnati
2021-22 Cincinnati
2022-23 Cincinnati
2023-24 East Carolina
Women’s Indoor Track and Field
2013-14 Memphis
2014-15 USF
2015-16 Memphis
2016-17 Tulsa
2017-18 Tulane
2018-19 Tulane
2019-20 Tulane
2020-21 Tulane
2021-22 Tulsa
2022-23 Tulsa
2023-24 Rice
Women’s Outdoor Track and Field
2013-14 Memphis
2014-15 Tulane
2015-16 Memphis
2016-17 Tulane
2017-18 Tulane
2018-19 Tulane
2019-20 Tulane
2020-21 Tulane
2021-22 Tulsa
2022-23 Tulsa
2023-24 Rice
Women’s Volleyball
2013-14 Louisville
2014-15 Temple
2015-16 Temple
2016-17 UCF
2017-18 Wichita State
2018-19 UCF
2019-20 UCF
2020-21 Tulsa
2021-22 Memphis
2022-23 Memphis
2023-24 Charlotte
American Athletic Conference Scholar of the Year Athletes
Commissioner Tim Pernetti has announced Charlotte track and field All-American Riley Felts have been chosen as the 2023-24 American Athletic Conference Scholar-Athletes of the Year, as chosen by the conference’s Academic Committee.
Felts, The American’s Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, will each receive a $4,000 postgraduate financial scholarship.
“I am proud to present the American Athletic Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year Awards to 23 of our outstanding student-athletes,” said Pernetti. “And I am especially pleased to recognize Jackson Caldwell and Riley Felts as our Male and Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year, the best of the best. Jackson and Riley join an impressive list of champions and scholars who have won these awards and set the highest standard for all of our student-athletes.”
Felts, who hails from Matthews, North Carolina, becomes the first Charlotte student-athlete to be chosen as The American’s Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Felts was the runner-up in the pole vault in both the NCAA indoor and outdoor championship meets as she registered the highest national individual finish in school history in any sport. She is a six-time conference champion who helped the 49ers to a sweep of the indoor and outdoor team titles in Charlotte’s first year in The American.
Felts earned a 4.00 grade-point average as an undergraduate and holds a 3.90 GPA in Charlotte’s postgraduate civil engineering program. She won the Charlotte Provost Student-Athlete Academic Achievement Award as the 49ers’ top all-around student-athlete and was named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-America first team.
Selections for the 23 Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards, as well as the Male and Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors, are made by the Academic Committee on the basis of academic credentials and athletic performance. Each conference school may nominate one student-athlete per sport who has achieved senior academic standing as determined by the institution. A winner is chosen from each of the conference’s 21 sponsored sports in addition to at-large selections from sports not sponsored by the conference.
2024 American Athletic Conference Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Riley Felts, Charlotte (Track and Field)
2024 American Athletic Conference Sport Scholar-Athletes of the Year
Sport Student-Athlete School Highlights
Women's Basketball Dazia Lawerence Charlotte Two time First Team All Conference selection
Women’s Cross Country Lauren Johnston Charlotte Placed sixth at 2023 AAC Championship to earn all-conference honors
Women’s Golf Melanie Green South Florida 2024 AAC Player of the Year; four-time All-AAC; R&A Women’s Amateur Champion
Women’s Lacrosse Belle Mastropietro Temple Three-time AAC Midfielder of the Year; four-time first team All-AAC selection
Women’s Rowing Isabella Musollino Tulsa Two-time all-conference selection; coxswain of 2024 AAC champion varsity eight
Women’s Soccer Mya Jones Memphis 2023 AAC Offensive Player of the Year; four-time all-conference selection
Softball Addison Barnard Wichita State First player in NCAA history with 90 HR and 60 SB; ranks fifth in NCAA career HR
Women’s Swimming Diving Imogen Meers Rice 2024 AAC champion in 50 freestyle, 100 freestyle and 100 backstroke
Women’s Tennis Taylor Johnson SMU 2024 AAC Player of the Year and two-time all-conference selection
Women’s Indoor Track and Field Riley Felts Charlotte NCAA runner-up in indoor and outdoor pole vault; two-time Academic All-America
Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Chloe Hershenow Tulsa 2024 AAC champion in the 5,000 and 10,000; three AAC titles in the 10,000
Women’s Volleyball Kayley Cassaday Tulsa AVCA honorable mention All-America; first team Academic All-America
Women’s At-Large (Fencing) Diana Tiburcio Temple Career record of 102-60 in sabre; helped team to four straight conference titles
Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year
2013-14 Nicole Scott, Swimming & Diving, Rutgers
2014-15 Kadi Kullerkann, Volleyball, Houston
2015-16 Avery Acker, Volleyball, SMU
2016-17 Micaela Bouter, Swimming and Diving, Houston
2017-18 Mikaela Raudsepp, Volleyball, Wichita State
2018-19 Leonie Harm, Golf, Houston
2019-20 Caitlin Klopfer, Cross Country, Tulsa
2020-21 Georgina Corrick, Softball, South Florida
2021-22 McKenna Melville, Volleyball, UCF
2022-23 Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu, Basketball, South Florida
2023-24 Riley Felts, Track and Field, Charlotte
Women’s Basketball Scholar-Athlete of the Year
2013-14 Antonita Slaughter, Louisville
2014-15 Jamie Kaplan, Tulane
2015-16 Courtney Williams, South Florida
2016-17 Leslie Vorpahl, Tulane
2017-18 Ktija Laksa, South Florida
2018-19 Katie Lou Samuelson, UConn
2019-20 Antoinette Miller, Cincinnati
2020-21 Rebecca Lescay, Tulsa
2021-22 Elena Tsineke, South Florida
2022-23 Dulcy Fankam Mendjiadeu, South Florida
2023-24 Dazia Lawrence, Charlotte
Women’s Cross Country Scholar-Athlete of the Year
2017-18 Lauren Bartels, Tulane
2018-19 Alyssa Bolliger, Tulsa
2019-20 Caitlin Klopfer, Tulsa
2020-21 Caitlin Klopfer, Tulsa
2021-22 Caroline Miller, Tulsa
2022-23 Kat Pesendorfer, Tulsa
2023-24 Lauren Johnston, Charlotte
Women’s Golf Scholar-Athlete of the Year
2017-18 Megan Thothong, Houston
2018-19 Leonie Harm, Houston
2019-20 Dorthea Forbrigd, East Carolina
2020-21 Dorthea Forbrigd, East Carolina
2021-22 Kathryn Carson, East Carolina
2022-23 Lilly Thomas, Tulsa
2023-24 Melanie Green, South Florida
Women’s Lacrosse Scholar-Athlete of the Year
2018-19 Maddie Gebert, Temple
2019-20 Megan Pallozzi, East Carolina
2020-21 Courtney Taylor, Temple
2021-22 Kylie Nause, Cincinnati
2022-23 Belle Mastropietro, Temple
2023-24 Belle Mastropietro, Temple
Women’s Rowing Scholar-Athlete of the Year
2017-18 Hannah Vissers, Tulsa
2018-19 Emily Fogg, SMU
2019-20 Mia Cleary, UCF
2020-21 Julie Poulsen, UCF
2021-22 Hallie Wilson, SMU
2022-23 Karen Undset, Tulsa
2023-24 Isabella Musollino, Tulsa
Women’s Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year
2017-18 Vanessa Giles, Cincinnati
2018-19 Lizzie Woerner, Memphis
2019-20 Stasia Mallin, Memphis
2020-21 Elizabeth Moberg, Memphis
2021-22 Elizabeth Moberg, Memphis
2022-23 Mya Jones, Memphis
2023-24 Mya Jones, Memphis
Softball Scholar-Athlete of the Year
2017-18 Emily Watson, Tulsa
2018-19 Savannah Heebner, Houston
2019-20 Alea White, UCF
2020-21 Georgina Corrick, South Florida
2021-22 Gracie Morton, Memphis
2022-23 Shannon Doherty, UCF
2023-24 Addison Barnard, Wichita State
Women’s Swimming and Diving Scholar-Athlete of the Year
2017-18 Micaela Bouter, Houston
2018-19 Peyton Kondis, Houston
2019-20 Zarena Brown, Houston
2020-21 Kate McDonald, Tulane
2021-22 Iza Pelka, Tulane
2022-23 Nicole Stambo, SMU
2023-24 Imogen Meers, Rice
Women’s Tennis Scholar-Athlete of the Year
2017-18 Monica Matias, UCF
2018-19 Martha Matoula, Tulsa
2019-20 Martina Okalova, Tulsa
2020-21 Ksenia Kuznetsova, UCF
2021-22 Marie Mattel, UCF
2022-23 Marie Mattel, UCF
2023-24 Taylor Johnson, SMU
Women’s Indoor Track and Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year
2017-18 Rosie Chamberlain, UCF
2018-19 Loretta Blaut, Cincinnati
2019-20 Millie Howard, Temple
2020-21 Alanna Lally, Temple
2021-22 Kat Pesendorfer, Tulsa
2022-23 Rayniah Jones, UCF
2023-24 Riley Felts, Charlotte
Women’s Outdoor Track and Field Scholar-Athlete of the Year
2017-18 Loretta Blaut, Cincinnati
2018-19 Ashley Pryke, Memphis
2019-20 Hannah Miller, SMU
2020-21 Claudia Rojo, Wichita State
2021-22 Jane Sensibaugh, Cincinnati
2022-23 Latasha Smith, UCF
2023-24 Chloe Hershenow, Tulsa
Women’s Volleyball Scholar-Athlete of the Year
2017-18 Mikaela Raudsepp, Wichita State
2018-19 Emily Thorson, Tulsa
2019-20 Jordan Thompson, Cincinnati
2020-21 Lexie Douglas, Tulane
2021-22 McKenna Melville, UCF
2022-23 McKenna Melville, UCF
2023-24 Kaley Cassaday, Tulsa
At-Large Scholar-Athlete of the Year
2017-18 Charlotte Veitner, UConn (Field Hockey) Lauren Hudson, Cincinnati (Lacrosse)
2018-19 Nora Gray, SMU (Equestrian)
2019-20 Malia Hee, Temple (Fencing)
2020-21 Marina Barzaghi, South Florida (Sailing)
2021-22 Crystal Singh, Tulane (Bowling)
2022-23 Margherita Calderaro, Temple (Fencing)
2023-24 Diana Tiburcio, Temple (Fencing)
