Hope College basketball players Maura McAfee and Ben Gardner both have claimed College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-America recognition for the 2015-2016 season.
McAfee, a senior from Midland, Michigan (Midland HS) is a second-team selection on the 15-player women's team, while Gardner, a senior from Carmel, Indiana (Carmel HS) is a third-team selection on the 15-player men's side.
Hope College now has four student-athletes who have been CoSIDA Academic All-America honorees. Volleyball players Lauren Hazekamp and Jayne Kessel earned the distinction this fall.
Gardner is a three-time member of the MIAA Academic Honor Roll. He is majoring in public accounting.
Gardner has been named one of 10 finalists for the men's Jostens Trophy, an outstanding NCAA Division III men's and women's basketball player who excels on the court, in the classroom, and in the community.
Last month, Gardner was named one of 10 honorees fro the National Basketball Coaches Association Good Works Teams. He is invited by Allstate to be recognized at the 2016 NABC Convention and 2016 NCAA Men's Final Four®. They will participate in a community service project to benefit the host city of Houston.
Gardner helped the Flying Dutchmen post a 23-3 record this season that included an outright MIAA championship. He is averaging a team-high 15.2 points, 3.0 assists and 1.8 steals per game.
Gardner ranks 17th all-time among Flying Dutchmen players with 1,264 career points.
Gardner is one of three MIAA men's basketball to achieve CoSIDA Academic All-America honors. He joins Trine's Jared Holmquist and Calvin's Jordan Daley.
McAfee carries a 3.69 grade point average while pursing a major in biology. She plans to attend graduate school for physical therapy. She is a two-time MIAA Academic Honor Roll recipient.
McAfee is averaging a team-high 15.9 points and 10.8 rebounds per game this season for the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association champion and NCAA Division III Tournament-bound Flying Dutch.
A co-captain, McAfee led Hope to regular-season and tournament titles in the MIAA this season as well as a 26-1 overall record.
McAfee has a school-record 1,041 rebounds in her career. She became the first Flying Dutch player to reach 1,000 rebounds last month.
McAfee also ranks third among Flying Dutch players all-time with 1,390 career points.
The Division II and Division III Academic All-America® program is being financially supported by the NCAA Division II and III national governance structures, to assist CoSIDA with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2015-16 DII and DIII Academic All-America® teams program.
