2023-24 Academic All-District Teams (PDF)
ORLANDO – For the second straight season and second time in program history, Carson-Newman honors multiple players on the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Women's Basketball team which recognizes the nation's top student athletes for their efforts on the court and in the classroom, with Makayla Alvey, Campbell Penland, Tori Rutherford and Braelyn Wykle earning a spot.
Four selections on the CSC Academic All-District team is the most in program history, giving C-N eight players now that have been given this academic honor.
Alvey's academic honor is the first of her career and becomes the seventh player in program history to earn a spot on the academic roster.
The junior guard was paramount to C-N's success this season. She started 22 games this season, averaging a career-best eight points, six rebounds and three assists per game. Her ability to make an impact in several areas led to her almost securing a triple double, finishing with 10 points, 16 rebounds and nine assists in a 64-57 win over Lenoir-Rhyne on Feb. 10. She scored a career-high 22 points in the SAC quarterfinal win over Anderson on Mar 6, making nine shots while also snagging nine rebounds.
Penland is on the academic all-district team for the second straight season. She lands this honor after averaging ten points per game in her junior year. Penland reached 1,000 career points with a basket in C-N's semifinal round win against Anderson in the NCAA tournament. She is the 31st player in program history to reach that mark, doing so in just three seasons.
The junior scored in double figures 13 times this season and has done so 49 times in her career. Penland was huge to C-N's late run in both the conference and NCAA tournament, averaging 12 points per game during the postseason. The Sevierville native scored a career-high 32 points against Catawba on Feb 3 and tied the program's record (at the time) for three-pointers made with seven in the contest on just 11 attempts.
The guard has been an excellent rebounding guard, averaging five per game this season and that same mark for her career. Effort on the defensive end of the floor has come with her recording seven games this year with at least three steals.
Tori Rutherford earns Academic all-district honors for the first time in her Lady Eagle career. It's the sophomore's second career honor and she is the eighth to receive the honor.
She started all 34 games for C-N this season, averaging six points, four rebounds and three assists per game. On December 13th against Tusculum, she scored 13 points, dished out 11 assists and grabbed 10 rebounds to record the program's first triple double since Jai Jai McLaughlin had 11 points, 10 assists and 12 rebounds in the SAC quarterfinals against Catawba on March 5th, 2014. Rutherford's 11 assists and 10 rebounds were career-highs for the Rutledge native.
Her three-point shooting took a step up this season, doubling her total from her freshman season by nailing 34 this year. She made a three-pointer in five of C-N's six NCAA Tournament games and had three games with at least three, three-pointers. Her passing helped engineer one of the best scoring offenses in the country. She led the team in assists eight times and had three assists in 16 games.
For the fourth time year in a row, Wykle earns Academic all-district honors. Last season, she was named a second-team academic All-American. She has received academic All-American honors three times in her career.
The Greeneville, Tenn. native completes quite possibly the most outstanding and exceptional five-year career in program history, etching her name in several record books. The guard finishes her career as the program's all-time leading scorer with 2,782 career points. That scoring mark ranks second in South Atlantic Conference history and fourth all-time on the DII scoring list. Braelyn completes her career with a scoring average of 19.2, second highest ever in SAC history. In total, Wykle made 970 baskets, the most in program and SAC history on efficient 46/41/87 career splits.
With 2,782 career points came 370 three-pointers, the most in program history achieving that mark last season. The sharp shooting from long range allowed her to finish second in SAC history and seventh all-time among DII players for threes made.
In her final go around, Wykle broke the program and the SAC's single-season record for three-pointers made with 107 this season. On her senior day, she broke the program's single-season three-point mark and the single-game record for three-pointers made with 13. In that same game, Wykle scored a career-high 45 points and made 15 of her 26 shots.
Penland, Rutherford and Wykle have been considered for advancement to the CSC Academic All-America ballot. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced April 16, 2024.
