Six men’s and women’s basketball players earn CSC Academic All-District® honors

OLIVET, Mich. – Six members of The University of Olivet men's and women's basketball teams have been named to the 2023-24 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District® team. The honorees are seniors Ryan Bart and Noah Wiswary, and junior Nolan Finkbeiner from the men's team, and seniors Lily Connelly and Julia Decker, and junior Clara Shoales from the women's team. Bart, Wiswary, Decker and Shoales are earning this honor for a second straight season.

To be selected to the Academic All-District® team, the player must have a 3.50 or higher cumulative grade point average and started in 66 percent of the team's games OR played in 90 percent of the team's games.

Bart, an exercise science major, started in 11 of the Comets' 25 games in 2023-24. He averaged 9.6 points and 3.1 rebounds per game. Bart's single-game scoring high was 22 points in Olivet's 87-75 upset victory over Trine (Ind.) University.

Finkbeiner, a biology with pre-medicine concentration major, played in all 25 games, with two starts. He had a 5.8 scoring average, while ranking second on the team with 36 made three-pointers. Finkbeiner's single-game scoring high was 17 points, including five three-pointers, against Hope College.

Wiswary graduated last May with his bachelor's degree in criminal justice major and is currently enrolled in the MBA program. He started all 25 games this season, with a 9.0 scoring average. He dished out a team-leading 113 assists. Wiswary's single-game scoring high was 22 points at Calvin University. He had a single-game best 10 assists against Defiance (Ohio) College.

Connelly is majoring in criminal justice and minoring in sports and recreation management. She started all 26 games and led Olivet in virtually every offensive category – 8.6 points, 5.4 rebounds per game, 3.5 assists and 1.8 steals per game. Connelly's single-game scoring high was 19 points in a 76-73 win over Saint Mary's (Ind.) College. She also dished out a single-game best 10 assists at Bluffton (Ohio) University.

Decker, an exercise science major, started each of the 26 games. She averaged 4.5 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. Decker's single-game high 11 points against Saint Mary's.

Shoales is a chemistry major. She started 24-of-26 games and posted a 5.0 scoring average. Shoales netted a single-game high 12 points at Adrian College.

The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes men's and women's basketball honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA. First-, second and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced in mid-April. The Division III CSC Academic All-America® programs are partially financially supported by the NCAA Division II and III national governance structures to assist CSC with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2023-24 Division III Academic All-America® programs.