NEWARK, Del. - - Prior to the Central Atlantic Collegiate Conference Tournament Semifinals, the conference office presented the All-Conference Teams and Major Awards, along with the CACC Top XVI Awards for academic excellence. The Wildcats swept the Top XVI Award for the diamond sports as Haley Downin and Justin Brooks won for their respective sports.
The CACC Top XVI Award is modeled after the NCAA Elite 90 Award and is a direct product of the CACC Strategic Plan. The Top XVI Award is presented to the student-athlete with the highest cumulative grade-point average participating at the finals site for each of the CACC championships. In order to be considered, the student-athlete must have earned at least 48 college credits toward their GPA (at their current institution), as well as a member of the active roster. In the event of a tie, it is broken by the total number of credit hours earned.
The award only accounts for grades through the end of the most recent completed semester, which would be through the fall for the spring sports but Haley Downin got it done in both semesters. She carries a 3.99 cumulative GPA into the summer after another perfect 4.0 spring semester. She is a dual major while studying psychology and sports management. She was named Second Team All-CACC on the field this past season, hitting .325 with a team leading 16 doubles.
Justin Brooks just celebrated his graduation from Wilmington University this past weekend, earning his bachelor's in Business Analytics. He graduated from Wilmington with a 3.91 cumulative GPA. This past season, he appeared in 14 games out of the bullpen, striking out six batters in 11.2 innings pitched. He made 27 appearances in his career and went 1-0 with a 4.24 career ERA.
The pair become the University's fifth and sixth CACC Top XVI award winners this academic year, joining men's soccer's Jackson Brandwene, women's soccer's Krysta Memis, men's cross country's Logan Strouse, and volleyball's Grace Morton.