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Senden Named to Academic All-America Team; 40 Dragons Earn CSC Academic All-District Honors
Men’s Soccer standout Youri Senden was named to the College Sport Communicators Academic All-America First Team. Senden is the fifth player in program history to earn Academic All-American distinction.
In addition, 40 Dragons received Academic All-District Honors. To be eligible, a student-athlete must be of sophomore academic standing or higher with a minimum 3.50 cumulative GPA and be a starter or key reserve for their team.
- Grace Abbonizio - Softball
- Ashley Errico - Softball
- Lily Meuninck - Softball
- Lindsay Nelson - Softball
- Alex De Sousa – Men’s Tennis
- Hussein El Tawil – Men’s Tennis
- Alan Jesudason – Men’s Tennis
- Isabel Cabrerizo – Women’s Tennis
- Renata Lombera – Women’s Tennis
- Elisa Rigazio – Women’s Tennis
- Mate Okros – Men’s Basketball
- Lily Dunbar – Women’s Soccer
- Delaney Lappin – Women’s Soccer
- Annalena O’Reilly – Women’s Soccer
- Casey Touey – Women’s Soccer
- Alessandro Capogna – Men’s Soccer
- Antonio Illuminato – Men’s Soccer
- Carles Aliberch – Men’s Soccer
- Youri Senden– Men’s Soccer (Academic All-American)
- Patrick Short – Men’s Soccer
- Aldercy Bui – Women’s Swimming and Diving
- Megan Ehrnfeldt – Women’s Swimming and Diving
- Federica Nocera – Women’s Swimming and Diving
- Andrea Casini – Men’s Swimming and Diving
- Alessio Gianni – Men’s Swimming and Diving
- Jakub Kwasny – Men’s Swimming and Diving
- Nathan Piccolo – Men’s Swimming and Diving
- Chloe Hodges – Women’s Basketball
- Grace O’Neill – Women’s Basketball
- Hetta Saatman – Women’s Basketball
- Oscar Maxfield – Golf
- Griffin Mitchell – Golf
- Drue Nicholas – Golf
- Conor Hooley – Men’s Lacrosse
- Liam Kammar – Men’s Lacrosse
- Eline Di Leva – Field Hockey
- Belle McHugh – Women’s Lacrosse
- Kayla Driscoll – Women’s Rowing
- Chloe Special – Women’s Rowing
- Liz Chipman – Field Hockey
Dragons By the Numbers
- 1 Academic All-American
- 40 Student-Athletes Named to Academic All-District Teams
- 3.46 Student-athletes Cumulative GPA
- 287 Student-athletes earned Dean's List at least once
- 317 Student-athletes named to the CAA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll
317 Dragons Named to CAA Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll
317 Drexel student-athletes were named to the Coastal Athletic Association Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll during the 2023-24 academic year. That total included 284 individuals recognized during the fall and 276 honored during the spring. Student-athletes on the commissioner's Academic Honor Roll must have participated in a CAA sponsored sport, attained a minimum grade point average of 3.0 during the designated academic term and have been enrolled as a full-time student.
Eight Teams Earn Perfect Scores on NCAA APR; Seven Drexel Teams Achieve 100 Percent NCAA Graduation Success Rate
Drexel had eight teams achieve a perfect Academic Progress Rate (APR) score of 1000 for the 2022-23 academic year, including men’s and women's basketball and tennis, women's lacrosse, women's rowing, softball and golf. Men’s and Women’s Tennis had a multi-year rate of 1000, accomplishing the feat for the second year in a row.
The APR provides a real-time look at a team's academic success each semester by tracking the academic progress of each student-athlete on scholarship. The APR accounts for eligibility, retention and graduation and provides a measure of each team's academic performance.
Seven of Drexel's varsity athletic teams scored 100 percent on the latest NCAA Graduation Success Rate, including women’s basketball, soccer, squash, swimming and diving, tennis, field hockey and golf. It is the fourth straight year that Drexel had at least seven teams accomplish the feat. Overall, Drexel scored 94 percent on the GSR, a one percent improvement from the previous year. The GSR is a measure that the NCAA uses to evaluate academic performance
Okros Named Big 5 Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Mate Okros, a fifth-year student, was named Big 5 Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The school's all-time leader in games played, Okros is working on a master’s degree in marketing tech and analytics in Drexel's Lebow College of Business.
Okros appeared in all 32 games this season and started 23 times. He averaged 6.4 points per game and shot .391 from three-point territory. Okros finished his career with 184 three-pointers, which ranks 11th on the school's career list. He is also eighth in career three-point percentage at Drexel at .387.
Senden, Di Leva Named CAA Scholar-Athletes of the Year
Youri Senden of men's soccer and Eline Di Leva of field hockey were selected as Drexel's Coastal Athletic Association's Male and Female Scholar-Athletes of the Year.
An Academic All-American, as well as the Philly-SIDA Men's Soccer Performer of the Year, Senden was the CAA Defender of the Year and earned first-team All-CAA honors along with being named to the Philadelphia Soccer Six All-Star Team.
A four-time All-CAA First Team and NFHCA All-Mid-Atlantic Region selection, Di Leva closed out her career fifth in Drexel history with 86 points and ranks sixth all-time with 24 assists and 31 goals. She was a three-time NFHCA Academic Squad honoree and DI Senior Team selection. Additionally, as well as a Philadelphia Inquirer Academic-All Area member and has a 3.70 GPA as a health sciences major.
Dragons Receive CAA Team Academic Excellence Awards
Women's basketball and Women's Swimming & Diving were named recipients of the CAA Team Academic Excellence Awards for 2023-24. Team Academic Excellence Awards recognize the institutions with the highest collective grade point average in all 22 sports sponsored by the CAA.
Knoff Awarded CAA Leadership and Sport Excellence Award
Women’s rower Mollie Knoff received the prestigious CAA Leadership and Sport Excellence Award for the 2023-24 academic year. One student-athlete, who represents the highest standards of teamwork, integrity, leadership, and sportsmanship in his or her academic and athletic achievements, was selected in each of the 22 sports sponsored by the CAA. Knoff boasts a 3.36 GPA in health science with a minor in exercise science. Her extensive community service involvement includes the cleaning of city parks and schools in Philadelphia, canned food and clothing drives, and fundraisers of a dance marathon and a "Pied on Pi Day" event to support the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Senden, Gravereaux, Prow Named Academic All-Area Performers of the year
Youri Senden from men’s soccer, Chelsea Gravereaux from women’s swimming and diving and Margot Prow from women's squash were recognized as the Philly-SIDA / Philadelphia Inquirer Academic All-Area Performers of the Year in their respective sports. Overall, 14 Dragons were named to Academic All-Area Squads for their performance in competition and the classroom.
- Youri Senden (Performer of the Year) – Men’s Soccer
- Chelsea Gravereaux (Performer of the Year) – Women’s Swimming & Diving
- Margot Prow (Performer of the Year) – Women’s Squash
- Eline Di Leva – Field Hockey
- Mate Okros – Men’ Basketball
- Jakub Kwasny – Men’s Swimming and Diving
- Nico Serna – Men’s Squash
- Corinne Bednarik – Women’s Lacrosse
- Jenika Cuocco – Women’s Lacrosse
- Grace Abbonizio - Softball
- Sam Valigorsky – Men’s Rowing
- Daniel Yurcisin – Men’s Rowing
- Kayla Driscoll – Women’s Rowing
- Alan Jesudason – Men’s Tennis
Wrestling Posts Third Highest Team GPA in Division I
The Drexel wrestling team earned the third-highest GPA in Division I during the 2023-24 season as announced by the National Wrestling Coaches Association. Drexel's 3.5456 trailed only to Harvard (3.6134) and Cleveland State (3.5706). Overall, DU has posted the nation's top GPA three times in the last six years (2019, 2020, 2023).