DePaul University Athletics
Deja Church and Lexi Held Selected to NACDA Scholar-Athlete Team
4/13/2022 4:33:00 PM | WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
Held was All-BIG EAST Second Team and Church All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention
CHICAGO – The DePaul women's basketball cascade of postseason awards continued on Wednesday when Deja Church and Lexi Held received a national accolade.
The Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association (DI-AAA ADA) announced that Church and Held were being honored on the 20th Annual Scholar-Athlete Team presented by ARMS Software. In addition, the association selected a men's and women's scholar-athlete of the year and two postgraduate scholarship recipients.
Church was an All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention guard who averaged 14 points and nearly five rebounds per game. Her 89.6 percent free throw accuracy was ninth in the nation. The Blue Demon graduate student racked up a 4.0 grade-point average majoring in Entrepreneurship.
Held was an All-BIG EAST Second Team point guard who played lead guard for the first time in her career to better facilitate a DePaul offense that ranked No. 1 in the country averaging 87.3 points a game.
Sacrificing individual scoring for assists, Held averaged 12.7 points while her 5.2 assists per game was No. 21 in the country. She carried a 3.6 GPA majoring in Marketing and received an invitation on Monday to the Chicago Sky training camp.
"On behalf of the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association, I am excited to congratulate this year's men's and women's scholar-athlete teams as well as those selected to receive postgraduate scholarship awards," said San Francisco Athletics Director Joan McDermott who chaired the Scholar-Athlete Team Selection Committee.
"These individuals demonstrate excellence on and off the court, and we commend the dedication they have shown to effectively navigate the demanding student-athlete experience."
Basketball players from all Division I-AAA ADA member institutions are eligible for these prestigious annual awards. Each of the nominees is required to maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.20 (4.00 scale) in undergraduate study and have been a starter or important reserve with legitimate athletics credentials.
Nominees must have participated in at least 50 percent of the team's games listed on the nomination form. To be eligible for nomination to the Scholar-Athlete Team, individuals must have reached junior academic standing at their respective institution (ineligible athletics transfers are not eligible).
Additionally, one male and one female student-athlete are selected as the Division I-AAA ADA Scholar-Athletes of the Year. This year's female honoree is Conley Chinn, a pre-medical psychology major with a 4.0 GPA from Belmont. The male honoree is Max Abmas, a mathematics major with a 3.7 GPA from Oral Roberts.
Chinn and Gibson Jimerson, an international business major carrying a 3.9 GPA at Saint Louis, have been selected as the 2022 DI-AAA ADA Postgraduate Scholarship recipients. Each will receive $5,000 towards postgraduate studies.
Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association Scholar-Athlete Team
Men's Team
Max Abmas, Oral Roberts
Alphonso Anderson, Pacific
Rasir Bolton, Gonzaga
Tareq Coburn, St. John's
Caleb Green, Fairfield
Ryan Hawkins, Creighton
Gibson Jimerson, Saint Louis
Marek Nelson, Texas-Rio Grande Valley
Mike Okauru, UNC Wilmington
Khalil Shabazz, San Francisco
Luke Smith, Belmont
Fred Thatch Jr., Saint Louis
Women's Team
Rose Caverly, Quinnipiac
Conley Chinn, Belmont
Deja Church, DePaul
Mackenzie DeWees, Quinnipiac
Rachel Hakes, Fairfield
Lexi Held, DePaul
Lou Lopez-Senechal, Fairfield
Kerstie Phills, Florida Gulf Coast
Lauren Van Kleunen, Marquette
Cierra Walker, Gonzaga
Courtney Warley, Manhattan
The Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association (DI-AAA ADA) announced that Church and Held were being honored on the 20th Annual Scholar-Athlete Team presented by ARMS Software. In addition, the association selected a men's and women's scholar-athlete of the year and two postgraduate scholarship recipients.
Church was an All-BIG EAST Honorable Mention guard who averaged 14 points and nearly five rebounds per game. Her 89.6 percent free throw accuracy was ninth in the nation. The Blue Demon graduate student racked up a 4.0 grade-point average majoring in Entrepreneurship.
Held was an All-BIG EAST Second Team point guard who played lead guard for the first time in her career to better facilitate a DePaul offense that ranked No. 1 in the country averaging 87.3 points a game.
Sacrificing individual scoring for assists, Held averaged 12.7 points while her 5.2 assists per game was No. 21 in the country. She carried a 3.6 GPA majoring in Marketing and received an invitation on Monday to the Chicago Sky training camp.
"On behalf of the Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association, I am excited to congratulate this year's men's and women's scholar-athlete teams as well as those selected to receive postgraduate scholarship awards," said San Francisco Athletics Director Joan McDermott who chaired the Scholar-Athlete Team Selection Committee.
"These individuals demonstrate excellence on and off the court, and we commend the dedication they have shown to effectively navigate the demanding student-athlete experience."
Basketball players from all Division I-AAA ADA member institutions are eligible for these prestigious annual awards. Each of the nominees is required to maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.20 (4.00 scale) in undergraduate study and have been a starter or important reserve with legitimate athletics credentials.
Nominees must have participated in at least 50 percent of the team's games listed on the nomination form. To be eligible for nomination to the Scholar-Athlete Team, individuals must have reached junior academic standing at their respective institution (ineligible athletics transfers are not eligible).
Additionally, one male and one female student-athlete are selected as the Division I-AAA ADA Scholar-Athletes of the Year. This year's female honoree is Conley Chinn, a pre-medical psychology major with a 4.0 GPA from Belmont. The male honoree is Max Abmas, a mathematics major with a 3.7 GPA from Oral Roberts.
Chinn and Gibson Jimerson, an international business major carrying a 3.9 GPA at Saint Louis, have been selected as the 2022 DI-AAA ADA Postgraduate Scholarship recipients. Each will receive $5,000 towards postgraduate studies.
Division I-AAA Athletics Directors Association Scholar-Athlete Team
Men's Team
Max Abmas, Oral Roberts
Alphonso Anderson, Pacific
Rasir Bolton, Gonzaga
Tareq Coburn, St. John's
Caleb Green, Fairfield
Ryan Hawkins, Creighton
Gibson Jimerson, Saint Louis
Marek Nelson, Texas-Rio Grande Valley
Mike Okauru, UNC Wilmington
Khalil Shabazz, San Francisco
Luke Smith, Belmont
Fred Thatch Jr., Saint Louis
Women's Team
Rose Caverly, Quinnipiac
Conley Chinn, Belmont
Deja Church, DePaul
Mackenzie DeWees, Quinnipiac
Rachel Hakes, Fairfield
Lexi Held, DePaul
Lou Lopez-Senechal, Fairfield
Kerstie Phills, Florida Gulf Coast
Lauren Van Kleunen, Marquette
Cierra Walker, Gonzaga
Courtney Warley, Manhattan
Players Mentioned
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