Greenwood, Ind. - Gabriella Baltes and Kelly Hitchcock 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 2025 season. Baltes was a first-team Academic All-America selection for a second consecutive year. Hitchcock was a second-team Academic All-America selection.

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.

Baltes and Hitchcock were among only 33 players to receive 2025 CSC Academic All-America® recognition in NCAA Division III Women's Soccer.

Hitchcock becomes only the sixth student-athlete from Illinois Tech to ever receive this honor since the Academic All-America® program was started in 1952. She joins Baltes (2024 - 1st Team, 2025 - 1st Team), Caitie Chismarich of women's soccer (2024 - 1st Team), 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).

Baltes, a senior defender and Biochemistry major from Plymouth, Minnesota, was named a first-team Academic All-America® women's soccer team selection. This was Baltes' second-consecutive first-team Academic All-American selection. She maintained a 3.94 cumulative grade-point average while also competing at a high-level athletically. She was named the NACC Women's Soccer Defender of the Year, and a First-Team All-Conference selection. For Baltes, it was her third-consecutive Defensive Player of the Year honor, and her fourth consecutive all-conference selection, including her third-consecutive first-team selection. Baltes was also named a second-team selection to the United Soccer Coaches All-Region VIII team. Baltes once again was the team-leader in minutes played for the third-consecutive season, playing in all 23 games on the season for a total of 1987 minutes. Her play on the back line helped the Scarlet Hawks hold their opponents to just 0.52 goals per game and just 4.2 shots per game. On the offensive side, Baltes scored 6 goals for a total of 12 points. She made 33 shots, with 17 of those on goal, for a .515 shots on goal percentage. Baltes had 2 game-winning goals.

Hitchcock, a graduate student midfielder and Mechanical Engineering major from Scottsdale, Arizona, was named a second-team Academic All-America® women's soccer team selection. This was Hitchcock's first Academic All-American selection. She maintained a 3.81 cumulative grade-point average while also competing at a high-level athletically. She was named the NACC Women's Soccer Midfielder of the year, and a First-Team All-Conference selection. For Hitchcock, it was her fourth all-conference selection, and her second-consecutive first-team selection. Hitchcock was also named a first-team selection to the United Soccer Coaches All-Region VIII team. Hitchcock was a vital part of a Scarlet Hawks offense that lead the conference in scoring with 4.12 goals per game. After sitting out the 2024 season due to an injury, Hitchcock came back firing on all cylinders, tying for the team lead and conference lead in goals with 14, while adding 5 assists, good for 33 points, which put her second on the team and second in the NACC. Hitchcock tallied 57 shots, with 31 on frame for a .544 shots on goal percentage. She had 3 game-winning goals, while logging 1204 minutes over 19 games played.

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.