UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. – Six Penn State men's volleyball student athletes were honored on the 2020 EIVA All-Academic Team as announced by the league during its postseason awards releases Tuesday afternoon.
Redshirt seniors Calvin Mende and Jason Donorovich, senior Nathan Smith, redshirt junior Kyle Mackiewicz, redshirt sophomore Will Bantle, and sophomore Brett Wildman were all recognized by the league for their outstanding grade-point averages for the 2019 fall semester.
Penn State's six recipients are the most in program history since the beginning of the award in 2001. The format for the award changed in 2019, which waived on-court participation requirements.
The all-academic team historically recognizes league student-athletes that achieve a GPA of 3.3 or better during the academic schedule of the calendar season. Due to the shortened 2020 season with public concern for the COVID-19 coronavirus, the league changed the award to recognize those with the same GPA requirement in the 2019 fall semester with at least sophomore eligibility.
Mende is now a four-time member of the All-Academic Team dating back to 2017. Bantle and Smith appeared on the team for the second year in a row while Donorovich, Mackiewicz, and Wildman made the team for the first time.
The list below includes each student-athletes' GPA and major:
Calvin Mende: Redshirt Senior, Redlands Calif.
4.0 GPA – Security & Risk Analysis
Jason Donorovich: Redshirt Senior, Lockport, N.Y.
3.42 GPA – Recreation, Park & Tourism Management
Nathan Smith: Senior, Los Altos, Calif.
3.96 GPA – Biology
Kyle Mackiewicz: Redshirt Junior, Edison, N.J.
3.46 GPA – Recreation, Park & Tourism Management
Will Bantle: Redshirt Sophomore, Pacific Palisades, Calif.
3.65 GPA – Advertising
Brett Wildman: Sophomore, Virginia Beach, Va.
3.33 GPA – Security & Risk Analysis
For the full list of the All-Academic Team honorees, click here.
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