CHICAGO – Lexi Held and Sonya Morris earned national recognition on Thursday for their superb performance on the court and in the classroom.

Both DePaul juniors were honored on the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association (DI-AAA ADA) Women's Scholar-Athlete Team. Only 10 players nationwide were selected for the women's team with 10 selections for the men's team.

DePaul, Gonzaga and CSU Bakersfield each landed a pair of players on the team with a minimum qualifying grade-point average of 3.20.

Held was honored in March as the BIG EAST Scholar-Athlete of the Year in women's basketball and was All-BIG EAST First Team. The Marketing major with a 3.62 GPA was among the BIG EAST's leading scorers at 16.6 points per game and finished fifth in the nation in steals and eighth in steals per game.

Morris was a unanimous All-BIG EAST First Team selection averaging 18.3 points a game which was third in the conference. In BIG EAST action, she was first in free throw percentage at 91.9 percent while Held was second (88.9 percent). Morris is majoring in Sociology and carries a 3.48.

In addition to the 19th Annual Scholar-Athlete Team presented by ARMS Software, the DI-AAA ADA also selected a men's and women's Scholar-Athlete of the Year and two Postgraduate Scholarship recipients.
 
"On behalf of the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association, it is my pleasure to announce the men's and women's Scholar-Athlete Teams for this year, in addition to those selected to receive postgraduate scholarship awards," stated Division I-AAA ADA President, I-AAA Scholar-Athlete Team Selection Committee Chair and Vice President for Intercollegiate Athletics at Bradley University, Chris Reynolds.

"In a year unlike any other, it is important to recognize these student-athletes who go above and beyond within our division. We applaud these young men and women for the commitment and dedication they have shown in what it means to be a student-athlete---especially in these unprecedented times."

Basketball players from all Division I-AAA ADA member institutions are eligible for these prestigious awards. Each of the nominees is required to maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.20 (4.00 scale) in undergraduate study and have been a starter or important reserve with legitimate athletics credentials.

Nominees must have participated in at least 50 percent of the team's games listed on the nomination form. To be eligible for nomination to the Scholar-Athlete Team, he/she must have reached junior academic standing at their institution (ineligible athletics transfers are NOT eligible).

Additionally, one male and one female student-athlete are selected as the Division I-AAA ADA Scholar-Athletes of the Year. This year's female honoree is Conley Chinn, a psychology/pre-med major with a 4.0 GPA from Belmont University. Receiving this year's male honoree is Nevin Zink, an economic/finance major from USC Upstate, who maintains a 4.0 GPA.

Andie Easley, a Master of Health Care Administration Student at CSU Bakersfield, with a 4.0 GPA, and Corey Kispert, a Master of Business Administration Student at Gonzaga University, with a 3.79 GPA, were selected as the 2021 Postgraduate Scholarship recipients. Each will receive $5,000 towards postgraduate studies.

A special Review Committee of Division I-AAA Athletics Directors were responsible for selecting the winners: Chris Reynolds (Committee Chair), Bradley; Chasse Conque, UTRGV; Irma Garcia, St. Francis College Brooklyn; Phil Hutcheson, Lipscomb; Robert Lineburg, Radford; Joan McDermott, San Francisco; Marianne Reilly, Manhattan College and Kenneth Siegfried, Cal State Bakersfield.

Women's Scholar-Athlete Team
(Name-School-Major-GPA)
Andie Easley, CSU Bakersfield, Health Care Administration, 4.0
Ayanna Dublin, Northeastern, Sports Leadership, 3.56
Cierra Walker, Gonzaga, Organizational Leadership, 4.0
Conley Chinn, Belmont, Psychology (Pre-Med), 4.0
Courtney Warley, Manhattan, Management and Finance, 3.85
Jayden Eggleston, CSU Bakersfield, Sociology, 3.41
Jennifer Wirth, Gonzaga, Psychology, 3.46
Kailey Coffey, Northern Kentucky, Chemistry and Biochemistry/(Pre-Vet), 4.0
Lexi Held, DePaul, Marketing, 3.62
Sonya Morris, DePaul, Sociology, 3.48

Men's Scholar-Athlete Team
Angelo Allegri, UNC Greensboro, Economics, 3.23
Caleb Green, Fairfield, Marketing, 3.98
Cameron Krutwig, Loyola Chicago, Entrepreneurship, 3.45
Carter Hendricksen, North Florida, Sports Management, 3.78
Corey Kispert, Gonzaga, Business Administration, 3.79
Ethan Lasko, Manhattan, Business Marketing, 3.3
Juston Betz, Bellarmine, Accounting and Finance, 3.97
Nevin Zink, USC Upstate, Economic/Finance, 4.0
Souleymane Diakite, NJIT, Information Technology, 3.58
Tate Hall, Loyola Chicago, Business Administration, 3.83