AMHERST, N.Y. -- Daemen University men's basketball junior guard Zach Philipkoski (New Hartford, N.Y.) becomes the second player in program history to be named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) NCAA Division II Academic All-America Team, the organization announced on Tuesday afternoon. One of 15 players to earn Academic All-America status, Philipkoski lands on the Second Team and is the only player from the East Region represented. 

CSC Acedmic All-America recognizes achievements both in the classroom and on the hardwood. Philipkoski joins two-time awardee Andrew Sischo (2020, 2022) as the only Daemen players to earn Academic All-American honors.

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). He led the team with 623 total points, marking the first 600+ point season for a Daemen player since Sischo's 665 in 2021-22. 

He finished the 2025-26 campaign with 213 field goals, moving himself into 10th all-time in the Daemen record books for single-season field goals. His 91 triples ranks third all-time. Philipkoski also set the single-season program record for free throw percentage (.876). He became the 31th player in Daemen program history to record 1,000 career points in the Wildcats' ECC Championship victory over Roberts Wesleyan on March 8, and finished the season ranking 23rd all-time in career scoring with 1,085 points. 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. He became just the fourth player in program history to total at least 500 points and 250 rebounds in a season, as well as becoming the eighth player in program history with at least 1,000 points, 400 rebounds and 200 assists. 

A Business Administration major, Philipkoski has maintained a 3.87 cumulative GPA.