AMHERST, N.Y. -- Phil Nwugwo (Rochester, N.Y.) and Zach Philipkoski (New Hartford, N.Y.) of the Daemen University men's basketball team have been named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team. In order to be eligible for Academic All-District, the student athletes must hold a cumulative GPA of 3.50 or better and play in at least 80% of the team's games on the year. 

Phil Nwugwo, redshirt junior forward, Rochester, N.Y. -- Stepping into a pivotal role in his redshirt junior season, Nwugwo averaged 8.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game while averaging 21 minutes of game time each night. Appearing in all 35 games for the Wildcats this season, Nwugwo started 11 games while Benjamin Bill (Hamburg, N.Y.) was sidelined with an injury, and from there, the redshirt junior blossomed into a gritty player. Having just two double-digit games before he became a key part of the Wildcat offense on Dec. 12, Nwugwo averaged 13.8 points per game over the 11 games that he started. He posted a season-high 18 points against D'Youville on Jan. 24 after going 8-of-11 from the field. A menace for defenses in the paint, Nwugwo shot 61.9 percent from the field this season, banking 120 of 194 shots. Nwugwo earns Academic All-District for the first time in his career. A Health Sciences major, Nwugwo has maintained a 3.55 cumulative GPA. 

Zach Philipkoski, junior guard, New Hartford, N.Y. -- The accolades keep coming for Zach Philipkoski! The consensus All-American earns Academic All-District for the second straight season. In his junior campaign, Philipkoski earned All-American honors from both the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) and Division II Commissioners Conference Association (D2CCA) as well as earning East Coast Conference Player of the Year, NABC First Team All-District, D2CCA First Team All-East Region, East Region Tournament Most Outstanding Player and ECC All-Tournament Team honors this season. Philipkoski led the Wildcats with 17.8 points per game while shooting 51.2 percent from the field and 41.9 percent beyond the arc. He ranked fourth in the ECC in points (17.8), seventh in rebounds (7.1) and assists (3.8), and eighth in steals (1.5). Philipkoski scored in the double-digits in all but two games this season, and recorded a career-high 40 points in Daemen's East Region championship victory over Saint Anselm after banking a career-high 11 triples. A Business Administration major, Philipkoski has a 3.88 cumulative GPA.