CHICAGO – For the second year in a row, graduate student opposite hitter Matt Pennala (Long Beach, Calif./Long Beach City/St. John Bosco) from the Saint Xavier University men's volleyball team was named the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic men's at-Large All-American of the Year when the awards were announced Wednesday morning. He joins NCAA Division I winner Asher Cohen, a gymnast from University of Nebraska, NCAA Division II winner Crew Howard, a wrestler from University of Nebraska Kearney, NCAA Division III winner Mark Addison, a water polo student-athlete from Augustana College (Ill.) and college division winner Madden Butler, a baseball player from Itawamba Community College (Miss.).
Pennala carries a 4.00 grade point average (GPA) while earning his MBA after graduating with a degree in Communications as an undergraduate in 2025 as is one of 10 student-athletes named First Team Academic All-American from sports including volleyball, Lacrosse, wrestling, bowling, golf and competitive dance. To qualify, a student must maintain a GPA of 3.50 or higher and be enrolled at their institution for at least a year. He is joined on the First Team by teammate junior outside hitter Caydann Cox (Helena, Mont./Jamestown/Jamestown), who sports a GPA of 4.00 as a Criminal Justice major.
Saint Xavier also had four members from the softball team claim Academic All-American recognition: senior outfielder
Haley Matlock (Indianapolis, Ind./Southport) was a First-Team Academic All-American with a 3.66 GPA as a Biology major. Three Cougars were Second-Team Academic All-Americans with senior outfielder
Fiona Crane (Evergreen Park, Ill./Northern Illinois/Mother McAuley) and junior infielder
Aubrey Wroble (Crown Point, Ind./Crown Point) repeating as Academic All-Americans. Senior infielder
Mallory O'Connor (Bourbonnais, Ill./Olivet Nazarene/Bishop McNamara) was a Second Team Academic All-American as well. Wroble holds a 3.96 GPA while majoring in Communications,; Crane had a 3.72 GPA as an Elementary Education major, and O'Connor had a 3.55 GPA majoring in Business Management.
Overall, SXU had 34 student-athletes claim Academic All-District honors from baseball, men's and women's bowling, competitive dance, men's and women's golf, softball and men's and women's cross country and track & field.
Full list of Academic All-District and Academic All-Americans:
