Leila Hurley (Jim Thorpe, Pa./Jim Thorpe), Shannon Remolde (Philadelphia, Pa./Saint Basil Academy), Olivia Smelas (Jim Thorpe, Pa./Jim Thorpe) and Zara Zerman (Jonestown, Pa./Northern Lebanon) were named to the 2023-24 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team, an award that recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performance on the court and in the classroom.
To be eligible for CSC Academic All-District, student-athletes must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically, maintain a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.50, and compete in 90 percent of the institution's games or must start in at least 66 percent of contests.
Hurley, Remolde and Zerman are multi-year members, while this is the first honor for Smelas.
Hurley, a sophomore elementary education major, holds a 3.82 grade point average. The guard played in all 30 games and averaged 7.3 points per game, shooting 36.7% from long distance.
Remolde is a junior business administration major with a focus in accounting. She has a 3.98 GPA. Remolde played in all 30 games, making 21 starts. She finished second on the team with 40 steals and also had 42 assists, primarily guarding the opposing team's best offensive player.
Smelas, a sophomore business administration (accounting) major, boasts a 3.65 GPA. She appeared in all 30 games this season and started in 23 of them. Smelas averaged 8.4 ppg, a team-best 7.2 rebounds per game and led KU with 49 steals. She also was second with 26 blocks and 53 assists.
Zerman is a senior sport management major that holds a 3.96 GPA. She started in all 29 games she played in this season. Zerman averaged 9.2 ppg and 3.0 rpg in 27.4 minutes per game. Zerman led the team with 69 assists and added 33 steals.
Academic All-District honorees are considered for advancement to the CSC Academic All-America ballot. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America honorees will be announced in early April.
The Division II and III CSC Academic All-America programs are partially financially supported by the NCAA Division II and III national governance structures to assist CSC with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2023-24 Divisions II and III Academic All-America programs.