CoSIDA Women's At Large Academic All-America Teams

LOS ANGELES -- Cal State LA's Morgan Sjoerdsma has achieved another historic first for the women's golf program.

Sjoerdsma earned third-team CoSIDA Women's At Large Academic All-America honors on Wednesday in voting by the College Sports Information Directors of America. Sjoersdma becomes the first women's golfer in program history to earn the prestigious CoSIDA Academic All-America honors. The At Large classification includes the sports of golf, tennis, swimming, gymnastics, lacrosse, rowing, field hockey, skiing, beach volleyball and bowling.

Sjoerdsma earned CoSIDA All-District 8 honors last month for the second straight year, which put her on the ballot for All-America recognition. She was the only one from District 8, which includes the California Collegiate Athletic Association, PacWest Conference and Great Northwest Athletic Conference, to earn Academic All-America recognition.

The CoSIDA Academic All-America program separately recognizes honorees in four divisions – NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA. The Division II and III CoSIDA Academic All-America® programs are partially financially supported by the NCAA Division II and III national governance structures to assist CoSIDA with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2021-22 Divisions II and III Academic All-America® programs.

The CoSIDA Academic All-America program recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances in athletic competition and in the classroom.To be eligible, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.3 grade point average and be a starter or key reserve. The 50 members of the Division II Academic All-America Women's At Large Team had a combined grade point average of 3.87. Sjoerdsma, a mathematics major, carries a 3.96 grade point average.

"I'm running out of things to say about Morgan. Nothing she accomplishes surprises me. To be named a CoSIDA Academic All-American is as good as it gets for a student-athlete," Cal State LA head coach Hans Kersting said. "As her coach, I recognize the work ethic she possesses both on the golf course and in the classroom. Morgan and I set a goal her freshman year of becoming an All-American for both golf and for school. She did that this year, and that is truly remarkable."

Earlier, Sjoerdsma earned honorable mention All-America honors from the Women's Golf Coaches Association. She finished the 2021-22 season ranked 25th in the nation by golfstat. Sjoerdsma won the California Collegiate Athletic Association individual championship and qualified for the NCAA West Regionals, where she finished 12th out of 66 golfers and fell just two shots away from qualifying for nationals.

She and Karla Santos of volleyball shared Cal State LA's Billie Jean King Award as Cal State LA's Female Athlete of the Year.

Sjoerdsma also claimed the CCAA's Elite 13 Award for academic achievement.

"Morgan is the epitome of a Golden Eagle student athlete – as strong in the classroom as she is on the links," said Kyle Behen, the Director of Cal State LA's University Academic Advisement Center. "Her major, Mathematics, is a rigorous one, but she's found a perfect balance between her studies and her sport, succeeding in both."

The CoSIDA Academic All-America award earned by Sjoerdsma is the 16^th all-time for Cal State LA and the first for a female student-athlete since Iona Lofrano of volleyball in 2015. Christie Lau of women's tennis is the only student-athlete to earn the honor twice.

Cal State LA All-Time CoSIDA Academic All-America Awards
2022 -- Morgan Sjoerdsma, Women's Golf, 3rd team
2021 – Daniel Simonis, Men's Soccer, 3rd team
2018 – Samuel Croucher, Men's Soccer, 2nd team
2018 – Ingvar Moseley, Men's Track & Field, 1st team
2015 – Iona Lofrano, Women's Volleyball, 2nd team
2014 – Dane Nielsen, Men's Soccer, 2nd team
2014 – Shane Panther, Men's Soccer, 2nd team
2014 – Heather Williams, Women's Soccer, 3rd team
2013 – Christie Lau, At Large-Women's Tennis, 2nd team
2013 – Lisa Ohberg, Women's Track/CC, 3rd team
2012 – Waleed Cassis, Men's Soccer, 3rd team
2012 – Christie Lau, At Large –Women's Tennis, 2nd team
2011 – Sergio Cedano, Men's Soccer. 3rd team
2000 – Kasey Jungwirth, Women's Volleyball, 1st team
1995 – Marisol Cossio, Women's Track/CC, 3rd team
1987 – Robert Briglia, Men's Track/CC, 3rd team