Nordic Trio Named to CSC At-Large Academic All-District Team
HOUGHTON, Mich. – The Michigan Tech Nordic ski team garnered three individuals on the College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA) to the 2023 At-Large Academic All-District Team.
Anabel Needham, Olivia Laven and Skylar Patten were named to the At-Large Academic All-District Team thanks to their GPA and their talent on ski's.
A local of Houghton, Michigan, Anabel Needham earned All-America honors in the 5km skate at the NCAA Skiing Championships following her eighth-place finish. She also earned All-Region First Team in the 20km classic mass start and the 5km freestyle interval start. In the classroom, she holds a 3.96 GPA, majoring in Environmental Engineering. Needham also earned All-Conference First Team at the CCSA Conference Championships. Additionally, Needham qualified for the FISU University Games and the U23 World Ski Championships. This is her second consecutive year being tabbed to the At-Large Academic All-District team.
Laven, hailing from Stockholm, Sweden, was an NCAA Skiing Championships qualifier, who earned All-Region First Team in the 5km freestyle interval start. She majors in Engineering Management while maintaining a perfect 4.0 GPA. Laven also earned All-Conference First Team accolades at the CCSA Conference Championships.
The Park City, Utah, native was an NCAA Skiing Championships qualifier, was the individual regional champion in the 10km skate. Additionally, Patten earned All-Region First Team honors in the 5km freestyle interval start and the 20km classic mass start. At the CCSA Conference Championships, he earned All-Conference First Team honors, playing part in the men's Butch Riemer Cup Victory. He holds a 3.87 GPA while majoring in Materials Science and Engineering. Patten also made the U.S. National podium with a bronze finish in the men's freestyle 10k interval start. His efforts at the U.S. Nationals held at the Tech Trails also awarded him a chance to compete in the OPA Cup Finals.
The 2023 Academic All-District® At-Large Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances in the athletic realm and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.
Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second and third-team Academic AllAmerica® honorees will be announced June 21. The CSC Academic All-District® teams include the student-athletes listed on the following pages.
The Division II and 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 2022-23 Divisions II and III Academic AllAmerica® programs. The NAIA CSC Academic All-America® program is partially financially supported through the NAIA national office.