Four From Daemen Named To CSC Women's At-Large Academic All-District Team

Gizicki, Nowak, Bacher and Balcerzak Now Eligible For Academic All-America

5/23/2023 12:03:00 PM

By: CONTACT: Tom McDermott, Director of Athletics Communications | tmcdermo@daemen.edu

AMHERST, N.Y. – Four student-athletes from Daemen University have earned a spot on the 2022-23 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Women's Division II At-Large Academic All-District Team.

The Academic All-District program recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom. To be eligible for Academic All-District honors, student-athletes must be a starter of important reserve with at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average, and they must have reached sophomore athletic eligibility with at least one full calendar year completed at his/her current institution. Academic All-District honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America ballot. Academic All-America honorees will be announced next month. Women's At-Large selections are based on eligible student-athletes from beach volleyball, bowling, crew/rowing, fencing, field hockey, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming & diving and water polo.

Daemen's four honorees are junior Mollie Gizicki (Brighton, Mich.) and senior Caitlyn Nowak (West Seneca, N.Y.) of women's bowling and junior Dana Bacher (Hamburg, N.Y.) and sophomore Andee Balcerzak (East Amherst, N.Y.) of women's lacrosse.

Gizicki became the first student-athlete from Daemen to be named first-team All-East Coast Conference in the eight-year history of the women's bowling program. She was a two-time ECC Bowler of the Week recipient and earned MVP honors following the Daemen Storm Fall Classic and the Brother Patrick Lacey Memorial Tournament hosted by Saint Vincent College. In traditional matches, Gizicki averaged a team-high 19.90 pins in 325 frames bowled and also led the team in strikes (153). Gizicki appeared in 283 Baker format frames this season and averaged 17.92 pins per frame. Her 31 Baker double strikes tied for second on the team and she ranked third on the team in Baker strikes overall with 105. She was also named to the all-tournament team following the ECC Championship for the second-straight year. An Early Childhood Education major with a focus on special education, she has maintained a 3.81 cumulative grade point average.

Nowak earned All-ECC honors for the second-straight year and is one of only two players in program history to collect all-conference honors two times. She led the team in Baker frames bowled (328) this season and posted an 17.73 pins-per-frame average in Baker matches. She led the team in both Baker double strikes (35) and total Baker strikes (113). In traditional matches, Nowak averaged 19.21 pins in 370 frames bowled with 150 strikes. She was named to the all-tournament team following the Grapevine Classic, the Daemen Storm Fall Classic and the Division II Wildcat Invitational hosted by Wilmington University.. A Physical Therapy major, she has maintained a 3.60 cumulative grade point average.

Bacher and Balcerzak were both part of Daemen's inaugural women's lacrosse season this spring and helped the Wildcats to a 7-9 overall record and 2-4 mark in the ECC.

Bacher closed out the year with 52 points and a team-high 43 goals. A midfielder, she finished the season ranked sixth among the ECC leaders in goals and ninth in points. She scored at least one goal in 13 of Daemen's 16 games and netted at least three goals in a game eight times. A three-time ECC Rookie of the Week selection, she established the program record for goals in a game (7) during an 18-7 win at Edinboro. A junior academically, she never played in a collegiate game prior to this season. She was a four year member of the girl's lacrosse team at Hamburg High School.. A Physical Therapy major, she has maintained a 3.69 cumulative grade point average.

Balcerzak played in 15 of 16 games and was in the starting lineup six times. A defender, she was part of a back line that limited five of its opponents to eight goals or less. At one point during the year the Wildcats surrendered just 16 goals during three-straight wins over Edinboro (18-7), Tiffin (17-2) and the District of Columbia (23-7). She closed out the year with six ground balls and three caused turnovers. A Graphic Design major, she has maintained a 3.67 cumulative grade point average.

Daemen University features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 17 intercollegiate teams. For the latest information on Daemen Athletics, follow the Wildcats via social media on Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Instagram, or sign up to receive customizable news alerts, e-mail newsletters and weekly schedule alerts.

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