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Daemen University Athletics

Western New York's Premier Division II Team
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NTCA All-Academic_2023

Daemen Recognized For Academic Excellence By National Tenpin Coaches Association

7/12/2023 12:38:00 PM

AMHERST, N.Y. - The National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) announced its 2022-23 academic honors yesterday and the Daemen University women's bowling team is well represented. Three members of the team earned NTCA All-Academic honors, while the entire team was recognized as an All-Academic Team.

Graduate student Christina Aldridge (Webster, N.Y.), senior Caitlyn Nowak (Westr Seneca, N.Y.) and junior Mollie Gizicki (Brighton, Mich.) all earned NTCA All-Academic honors. This year, there were a total of 285 honorees, representing NCAA bowling programs at 57 schools. A student athlete must have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.4 or higher to qualify for this award. Nowak and Gizicki also recently earned College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District honors as well.

Aldridge closed out her five-year career with the Daemen women's bowling program this spring. In traditional matches, she averaged 18.05 pins with 105 strikes in 313 frames bowled. Aldridge appeared in 356 Baker format frames this season and averaged 16.96 pins per frame. She posted 26 Baker double strikes ranked fifth on the team in Baker strikes overall with 109. A Physical Therapy major, she has maintained a 3.63 cumulative grade point average.

Nowak is a four-year member of the team. She earned All-East Coast Conference honors for the second-straight year and is one of only two players in program history to collect all-conference honors two times. She tied for the team lead in Baker frames bowled (417) this season and posted an 18.05 pins-per-frame average in Baker matches. She led the team in Baker double strikes (54) and ranked third total Baker strikes (149). 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 3.57 cumulative grade point average.

Gizicki became the first student-athlete from Daemen to be named first-team All-ECC 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 375 Baker format frames this season and averaged 18.33 pins per frame. Her 47 Baker double strikes ranked third on the team and she ranked second on the team in Baker strikes overall with 151. 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 3.69 cumulative grade point average.
 
Daemen is one of 42 teams nationally to receive All-Academic Team recognition. The NTCA bestows All-Academic Team status on those who achieve a cumulative GPA of 3.2 or higher for the past academic year. The Daemen women's bowling team posted a combined 3.25 GPA during the 2022-23 academic year. It marks the fourth straight season that Daemen has been named a NTCA All-Academic Team. 

Student-athletes who contributed to the high academic achievement are: Daemen was ranked No. 13 in the final NTCA Division II/III Poll for 2022-23 and has either been ranked or receiving votes in each of the last five NTCA Division II/III polls. Daemen closed out the 2022-23 season with a record of 47-32. The Wildcats reached the 40-win plateau for the third time in program history and came just three wins shy of reaching 50 wins for the second-straight season.
 

Daemen University features the premier NCAA Division II athletics program in the Buffalo-Niagara region, sponsoring 18 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.

Follow the Daemen women's bowling program on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram at @DaemenBowling.
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