Ten Wolverines Named Academic All-District

ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Ten student-athletes from the University of Michigan were named to the 2023-24 Academic All-District At-Large Team, selected by College Sports Communicators on Tuesday afternoon (June 25). To receive the honor, student-athletes must have completed at least one year of classes and have at least a 3.50 cumulative grade-point average while hitting various participation requirements.

Five female student-athletes were honored in Sierra Brooks (women's gymnastics), Maddie Burns (women's lacrosse), Annaka Draaisma (rowing), Katie Easton (rowing) and Kata Utassy (water polo). The five male student-athletes honored were T.J. Hughes (ice hockey), Paul Juda (men's gymnastics), Frank Nazar III (ice hockey), Hunter Thomson (men's golf) and Justin Wietfeldt (men's lacrosse).

Sierra Brooks

Brooks closed out her illustrious career with a second-place finish on floor exercise at NCAAs to bring her career total to eight first team All-America citations. In 2024, Brooks won 23 event titles and had one perfect 10.0 on floor and eight 9.975s. She broke the Michigan school record in the all-around in her final season, scoring a 39.850 against Stanford. The Plainfield, Ill., native is a 15-time regular season All-American, a four-time individual regional champion, a four-time Regional Gymnast of the Year, a three-time Big Ten Gymnast of the Year and a five-time first team All-Big Ten honoree as well as the 2023 AAI Award winner and the 2023 female recipient of the Big Ten Medal of Honor. Brooks also is a four-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, a two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and a CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree.

Maddie Burns

Burns anchored the nation's top defense and started all 20 games this season. The Philadelphia, Pa., native had a team-best 29 caused turnovers and 41 ground balls while ranking fourth on the team with 20 draw controls. Burns broke the U-M career ground-ball record with her 101st pickup against Northwestern on April 21 and closed out her career with 111. The senior was the Big Ten Defender of the Year and also earned Inside Lacrosse All-America honors as well as first team all-region honors. Burns is a three-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and a two-time CSC Academic All-District honoree, having first earned the distinction in 2023.

Annika Draaisma

Draaisma has rowed in championship lineups throughout her Michigan career and spent the 2024 postseason between the 1V8 and 2V8 boats. The Ada, Mich., native has rowed in four Big Ten medal-winning boats in her career (two golds) and has been part of three Big Ten Championship teams. A second team All-Big Ten selection this spring, Draaisma helped the 2V8 finish seventh in the country at the 2024 NCAA Championships. She is a four-time CRCA Scholar Athlete and two-time Big Ten Distinguished Scholar. She graduated with a movement science degree before beginning a master of management program.

Katie Easton

Easton has been rowing in U-M's 1V8 since the postseason of her freshman year and the Melbourne, Australia, native is a two-time All-American. She has won three Big Ten medals with the 1V8 (two gold) and has been part of three Big Ten Championship teams at Michigan with two first team All-Big Ten honors. A 2024 CRCA Athlete to Watch and team captain, Easton helped the 1V8 finish ninth overall at the 2024 NCAA Championships. She twice has been named a CRCA Scholar-Athlete and Big Ten Distinguished Scholar while studying public health.

Kata Utassy

Utassy is a senior who received two bachelor's degrees in communication and media along with psychology. A two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, Utassy garnered several accolades in the pool in 2024 including CWPA All-Conference first team and CWPA All-Tournament first team honors. Utassy also landed on the Peter J. Cutino Watch List as one of the nation's 20 top women's water polo players. Utassy scored 66 goals and tallied 38 assists in a sparkling final season for the Maize and Blue. This is her second consecutive Academic All-District at-large selection.

T.J. Hughes

Hughes finished fourth in scoring for the high-powered offense on the ice hockey team. He totaled 48 points on 19 goals and 29 assists in 41 games and ranked 23rd in the nation in points per game at 1.17. A native of Hamilton, Ontario, Hughes had points in 27 games and had a 10-game point streak during the season en route to the Frozen Four. He had 15 multiple-point games, including a career-best five-point game. Additionally, he had three points at the NCAA Regionals as No. 10 Michigan defeated No. 4 North Dakota and No. 5 Michigan State. He scored eight power-play goals for the Wolverines, who finished the season ranked No. 1 in power-play percentage. An honorable mention All-Big Ten recipient, Hughes was also named to the Academic All-Big Ten team.

Paul Juda

Juda earned his second all-district honor (2022) after another stellar campaign. He was the 2024 NCAA floor exercise national champion, earning three All-America citations as Michigan finished runner-up. The 2023 Nissen-Emery Award winner, Juda is one of six Wolverines in program history with at least three NCAA individual titles after winning a pair in 2022. He was twice named the Big Ten Gymnast of Year (2021, 2022), earned Academic All-Big Ten honors four times and Big Ten Distinguished Scholar accolades three times. He graduated with a degree in psychology and received his graduate certificate in real estate development. Juda was named to the Academic All-America third team in 2022.

Frank Nazar III

Nazar was a point-per-game player for the Frozen Four-qualifying Wolverines. He was named NCAA All-Regional after a pass went viral in a win over Michigan State dubbed "the Michigan 2.0." He had 17 goals and 24 assists in 41 games for the Wolverines, finishing 29th in the nation. The Mount Clemens, Mich., native had points in 26 games, including an eight-game point streak and 11 multiple-point games. An honorable mention All-Big Ten and Academic All-Big Ten selection, Nazar won a gold medal with USA Hockey at the World Juniors in January and set the Michigan record for most assists in a World Juniors with eight in 2024. Nazar signed with the Chicago Blackhawks after the season and scored a goal in his NHL debut.

Hunter Thomson

A sport management major, Thomson was the top Wolverine in 10 of his 13 events. After a pair of runner-up finishes, he won his first collegiate event at the Palmas del Mar Collegiate with a career-low 201 (68-69-64) 54-hole total -- the second-lowest 54-hole total in program history. An All-Big Ten first team and PING/GCAA All-Midwest Region team selection, Thomson posted a second straight top-10 finish at the Big Ten Championships with an eighth-place showing. He participated in his first NCAA regional, tying for 27th, and helped U-M make its first trip to the NCAA postseason in six years. An Academic All-Big Ten and Big Ten Distinguished Scholar, Thomson's 70.56 scoring average set a new U-M single-season record.

Justin Wietfeldt

Wietfeld turned in the best statistical faceoff season on record in program history, ranking second in the Big Ten and No. 2 nationally in winning percentage (61). He also was second in the country and led the Big Ten in ground balls per game (9.06) in Michigan's 17 games. He earned first team All-America honors from USA Lacrosse, while grabbing a pair of second-team nods from USILA Lacrosse and Inside Lacrosse. Wietfeldt was named to the 2024 Big Ten all-tournament team after helping the Wolverines to their second consecutive tourny title. An All-Big Ten first teamer in 2024, he became the program leader in career pickups with 320 after totaling 155 in 2024. He graduated with a degree in business administration from the Ross School of Business while earning three Academic All-Big Ten citations in his career.

• College Sports Communicators release