Jasper Liekens, Soma Albert, Gavin Webb, and Aleksa Radenovic of the Youngstown State men's swimming and diving program were named to the 2023 Valeo #HLSD All-Academic Team, the Horizon League announced Thursday.
A total of 15 student-athletes across the league's men's swimming and diving programs were awarded this honor. An additional three earned Honorable Mention honors. Faculty Athletic Representatives from member institutions voted for these awards.
Liekens, a junior, owns a 4.00 G.P.A in Electrical Engineering. He was a member of the 2022 #HLSD Honorable Mention All-Academic Team. He finished 12th in the men's 200 butterfly with a time of 1:51.30 and was top 18 in both the men's 100 butterfly and 200 IM at the Horizon League Championships.
Albert, a junior, owns a 3.80 G.P.A in Civil and Construction Engineering Technology. He was a member of the 2022 #HLSD All-Academic Team. He finished fourth in the men's 200 backstroke with a time of 1:46.31 and picked up a 12th-place finish in the 100 backstroke at the Horizon League Championships, clocking a 49.94. He is also a member of the school record-setting men's 400 medley relay team.
Webb, a junior, owns a 3.61 G.P.A. in Hospitality Management. He was a member of the 2022 #HLSD All-Academic Team. He earned the #HLSD Swimmer of the Week honor on Dec. 21. He is the 2023 Horizon League Champion in the men's 1650 freestyle, swimming a school-record time of 15:19.52. He also finished third in the men's 500 freestyle at the Horizon League Championships with a time of 4:25.77 and rounded out the top five in the men's 400 IM, clocking a 3:54.90.
Radenovic, a sophomore, owns a 3.67 G.P.A. in Broadcasting Journalism. He is the 2023 Horizon League Champion in the men's 200 butterfly, swimming a time of 1:45.23. He was a three-time #HLSD Swimmer of the Week during the 2022-23 season. He finished third in both the men's 200 IM and 100 butterfly at the Horizon League Championships, with times of 1:47.23 and 47.24, respectively. He also set six individual school records and was on five record-breaking relay teams during the 2022-23 season.
The Horizon League recognizes student-athletes with seasonal Academic All-League Teams in each of its 19 championship sports. To be eligible for Horizon League All-Academic consideration, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade-point-average of 3.20 or higher (based on a 4.00 scale), have completed at least one year at the member institution, having earned 24 semester-hour or 36 quarter-hour credits, and participate in 50 percent of the team's overall contests.
