GRANVILLE, Ohio – Denison University Athletics surpassed another milestone on Wednesday, June 17 as five student-athletes were named to the 2020 CoSIDA Academic All-America® Men's and Women's At-Large teams to give the Big Red more than 100 Academic All-America® honors since 1967. This year's milestone-setting honorees included Bebe Wang (Swimming), Drake Horton (Swimming), KT Kustritz (Swimming), Natalie Zaravella (Swimming), and Peter Pittroff (Lacrosse).
Currently boasting 103 Academic All-America® winners over the last 53 years, Denison now joins 16 other NCAA Division III institutions that have celebrated 100 or more Academic All-America® selections since the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) started the program in 1952.
Named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® first-team in back-to-back seasons, Wang also headlined Denison's men's honorees as the Academic All-America® Male Member of the Year for the Division III At-Large division for the second-straight year. A native of Naperville, Illinois, Wang is a five-time national champion and 15-time All-American and was heading into this year's NCAA Championship with the nation's fastest time in the 200 IM and the third-fastest time in the 200 freestyle. In April, he received the North Coast Athletic Conference Male Scholar-Athlete Award from Denison and he was also recently awarded the prestigious $10,000 NCAA Postgraduate Scholarship to help further his education. A three-time CSCAA Scholar All-America selection, Wang recently received his BA in physics.
Denison's athletic and academic dominance continued on the women's side as Kustritz was also announced as the Academic All-America® Female Member of the Year for the Division III At-Large division following her third consecutive selection to the Academic All-America® team. Along with Wang, Kustritz becomes the sixth Denison student-athlete to be named the Academic All-America® Member of the Year. Named to the Academic All-America® second-team in 2018 and 2019, Kustritz makes her first-team debut as a five-time national champion and 27-time All-American as she leaves Denison as one of the most decorated and accomplished student-athletes in school history, across all sports.
She is the national record-holder in the 100 breaststroke and is a 22-time North Coast Athletic Conference Champion. Kustritz qualified for the 2020 US Olympic Trials in the 100 breaststroke and competed in the 2019 Phillips 66 National Championships. She owns seven Denison varsity records and is also a three-time College Swimming Coaches Association of America Scholar All-America selection. In 2017 she was named the NCAC Newcomer of the Year and in 2019 she was voted the NCAC Swimmer of the Year. The St. Paul, Minnesota native graduated in the spring of 2020 with a BA in health, exercise, and sport studies.
Zaravella joined Kustritz on the At-Large first-team after appearing on the Academic All-America® third-team in 2019. A native of Victor, New York, Zaravella is a 13-time All-American and a four-time national team member who has been recognized by the CSCAA Scholar All-America team, three times. She captured back-to-back NCAC Championships in the 400 IM in 2018 and 2019 and at the 2019 NCAA Division III Championship, she placed fourth in the 400 IM, sixth in the 1,650 free and sixth in the 200 IM. She is a three-time honoree at Denison Top-50 Student-Athlete Honors Ceremony. Zaravella recently graduated from Denison with a BA in economics and global commerce.
Horton rounded out Denison's first-team honorees following a third-team selection in 2019. A 15-time All-American and a four-time national champion, Horton was set to defend his national title in the 200 freestyle before the 2020 NCAA Division III Championship was canceled in March. A native of Madison, Wisconsin, Horton has been a member of three national championship relay teams and is a two-time CSCAA Scholar All-American. In 2018 he was voted the NCAC Newcomer of the Year after winning conference championships in the 200 free, 400 free relay and 800 free relay. Overall, Horton has captured five conference titles in his career. A two-time Denison Top-50 Student-Athlete honoree, Horton is currently majoring in data analytics.
Denison's final Academic All-America® selection is also the first for the Denison men's lacrosse program as Pittroff closed out his Big Red career as an Academic All-America® third-team honoree. Following one of the most impressive careers in Denison lacrosse history, Pittroff leaves Granville with 86 goals and a program-best 175 assists. A native of Charlotte, North Carolina, Pittroff is a two-time USILA All-American and a three-time honoree at the Denison Top-50 Student-Athlete Honors Ceremony. As a sophomore, Pittroff was named the NCAC Offensive Player of the Year. That season he was named the IMLCA West Region Offensive Player of the Year. Pittroff ranks second in Denison's history with 261 points. Pittroff recently graduated from Denison with a BA in communication.
Created in 1952 by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), the Academic All-America® program is a premier, nationwide college scholar-athlete awards program. It recognizes over 1,400 outstanding student-athletes annually in Division I, II, III and NAIA covering all NCAA championship sports.
