Lynn’s Berraud-Galea Headlines Google Cloud Academic All-America At-Large Teams

June 20, 2019

Academic All-America

Lynn’s Berraud-Galea Headlines Google Cloud Academic All-America At-Large Teams

Greenwood, Ind. – Lynn University swimmer Catalina Berraud-Galea has been named the 2018-19 Google Cloud All-America Team Member of the Year for Division II Women’s At-Large as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Helen Kreuzer joined Berraud-Galea with First Team Academic All-America recognition and Kristina Ortiz elicited Third Team accolades on the women’s side while Conrad Rhein was a Second Team recipient for Men’s At-Large.

Berraud-Galea is the first female student-athlete in Lynn history to be named Academic All-America of the Year and second overall after Gabe MacDougall earned the top academic honor for baseball in 2008-09. Lynn’s three Women’s At-Large plaudits is the most not only for Women’s At-Large but for any Academic All-America Team in school history while the four total selections in 2018-19 ties a school record. Additionally, Kreuzer and Ortiz are the seventh teammates to earn recognition.

The senior out of Toay, La Pampa, Argentina, is the first two-time Academic All-America recipient in program history and the seventh overall among all sports at Lynn. This past season Berraud-Galea repeated as the NCAA Division II Elite 90 Award winner to become the first female swimmer, and 29^th overall, in NCAA DII history to accomplish this feat.

Graduating with a 4.0 GPA in sports management, she capped off her career with a bronze in the 1650 freestyle at the SSC Championships, giving her six medals in four years, while becoming the second swimmer in program history to be a four-time NCAA National Championship participant. Berraud-Galea was also awarded the 2018-19 Lynn University Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year award.

Kreuzer collects academic laurels on the heels of leading the women’s golf program to its first NCAA Division II National Championship since 2015. In her breakout season, she led the team in stroke average (73.69) and top-10 finishes (nine) while garnering All-SSC First Team, All-South Region and First Team All-America recognition. The junior out of Bensheim, Germany, logged a 3.98 GPA in sports management.

Ortiz concluded her stellar four-year career with the Blue and White at the 2019 NCAA Division II Women’s Golf National Championship with a birdie putt. In her final season at Lynn, the Second Team All-America, Second Team All-SSC and First Team All-South Region honoree set career-bests for stroke average (74.82) and top-10 finishes (six) and ended her time with the Fighting Knights first in total rounds played (118), tied for sixth in tournament victories (two) and ninth in top-10 finishes (15). Ortiz graduated with a 3.93 GPA in international business management.

The 2018-19 Lynn University Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year, Rhein boasts a 4.0 GPA in his entrepreneurial management MBA program after completing his undergraduate degree last year at Lynn with a 3.97 GPA. He has served as president of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) for the past two years and has earned Sunshine State Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll accolades every semester. On the field, Rhein finishes his career with 48 points, including the 10th-most goals (32) all-time in school history. The York, Pa., becomes the second Academic All-American in men’s lacrosse history (Cody Bartusiak – 2018)

Merrimack College lacrosse attack Charlie Bertrand was named the Google Cloud Academic All-America Team Member of the Year for the Men’s At-Large team. Florida Tech and Embry-Riddle joined Lynn as

SSC schools to garner Academic All-America Men’s At-Large recognition with Panthers’ swimmer Harry Sale and Eagles golfer Joshua Hickling receiving Second Team honors and Logan Sweeney of Tech’s men’s lacrosse garnering third team plaudits.

Only Colorado Mesa had more first team (three) and overall (four) Academic All-America Women’s At-Large selections than Lynn. The Blue and White were one of three SSC institutions to collect Academic All-America honors on the women’s side with Nova Southeastern women’s Golfer Sofia Garcia Austt and Florida Tech rower Hana Ito receiving Third Team recognition.

The at-large program for the Google Cloud Academic All-America® program includes the sports of fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming and diving, tennis, water polo for both men and women; bowling, crew and field hockey for women; and volleyball and wrestling for men.

About the Fighting Knights
Lynn University’s national champion Fighting Knights compete in baseball, basketball, cross country, golf, lacrosse, softball, soccer, swimming, tennis, track and volleyball. The university’s 19 intercollegiate teams are home to over 300 student athletes. Lynn is a National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Division II institution and winner of 25 national championships and 42 Sunshine State Conference titles. Representing spirit, service and strength, the Fighting Knights strive for greatness through athletic performance and academic excellence. For more information, visit:lynnfightingknights.com.

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