Austin, Texas - Caitie Chismarich and Gabriella Baltes of Illinois Tech women's soccer were named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-America® women's soccer team for NCAA Division III for the 2024 season. Both Chismarich and Baltes were first-team Academic All-America selections.

To receive this honor, student-athletes are first nominated for CSC Academic All-District® recognition by communications directors of their institutions. The student-athletes must have a minimum 3.50 cumulative GPA and meet high athletic standards. From there, a select group of high-performing student-athletes advance to the national ballot where CSC members vote on Academic All-America teams.

Chismarich and and Baltes become only the fourth and fifth student-athletes from Illinois Tech to ever receive this honor since the Academic All-America® program was started in 1952. They join Liam Barrett of men's soccer (2010 - 3rd Team, 2011 - First Team, 2012 - First Team), Emily Kunkel of women's soccer (2010 3rd Team) and Ted Howell of baseball (2019 - 2nd Team, 2021 - First Team).

Chismarich, a graduate student Biomedical Engineering major from St. Louis, Missouri, was named a first-team Academic All-America® women's soccer team selection. She maintained a 3.97 cumulative grade-point average while competing at a high-level athletically. Chismarich was named the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) Women's Soccer Offensive Player of the Year, and a First-Team All-Conference selection. For Chismarich, it was her first major conference award, and her second consecutive first-team all-conference selection. Chismarich came back for her final year of eligibility to help the team achieve their first NCAA tournament berth, where the team won their first two matches and advanced to the Sweet 16. She led the team and the conference in goals scored with 18, which ranked 19th in the nation for NCAA Division III teams. She also led the team and the conference in assists with 16, which ranked her tied for 6th in NCAA Division III women's soccer. Chismarich led the team in game-winning goals with 7, and was 2-2 in penalty kicks. Chismarich had 91 total shots on the season, good for 3.64 per game, with 55 of those shots on goal, for a shots on goal percentage of .604. Chismarich played in all 25 games this season, and led the forwards in minutes played with 1637.

Baltes, a junior Biochemistry major from Plymouth, Minnesota, was named a first-team Academic All-America® women's soccer team selection. She maintained a 3.92 cumulative grade-point average while also competing at a high-level athletically. She was named the NACC Women's Soccer Defensive Player of the Year, and a First-Team All-Conference selection. For Baltes, it was her second consecutive Defensive Player of the Year honor, and her third consecutive all-conference selection, including her second consecutive first-team selection. Baltes was the Iron Woman on the Scarlet Hawks squad, playing in all 25 games on the season, and leading the team in minutes played by a wide margin at 2085. Her play on the back line helped the Scarlet Hawks hold their opponents to just 0.72 goals per game and just 4.9 shots per game. On the offensive side, Baltes scored 8 goals and tallied 3 assists for a total of 19 points. She made 27 shots, with 15 of those on goal, for a .556 shots on goal percentage.

About The CSC Academic All-America® Award
Academic All-American is a title reserved for college student-athletes who perform at an elite level in their chosen sport and in the classroom. The all-time list of 42,000+ Academic All-Americans includes major sports stars and some of the world's most accomplished individuals in medicine, business, science and the arts. Established in 1952 and selected by College Sports Communicators, Academic All-America is the longest running and premier award for athletic and academic success across championship college sports at all NCAA levels, the NAIA, two-year colleges and Canadian institutions. Teams are announced year round and amplified by CSC member colleges, universities, and conferences on a wide local, regional, national, and even international scope. 

About College Sports Communicators
CSC is a diverse organization comprised of more than 4,400 sports communications professionals throughout all levels of college sports in the United States and Canada. Formerly known as CoSIDA, CSC is the proud provider of the Academic All-America® program since 1952.