CHICAGO – Roosevelt placed four student-athletes on the at-large Academic All-District team sponsored by College Sports Communicators, the organization announced Tuesday.

The men's volleyball program had three honorees while men's golf was represented by sophomore Pierre Heylen on the prestigious list. All three men's volleyball players were first-time honorees – sophomores Martino Bertagnoli and Kajetan Bieniek as well as junior Andre Cippiciani.

Heylen averaged 76.7 strokes per round in his 22 rounds this season with a season-best fifth-place finish in the fall at the Motor City Shakedown. Bertagnoli set a new Roosevelt record with 791 assists for the Lakers, averaging 8.41 helpers per set. Bieniek finished second on the team with 215 kills and led the team with 26 aces. Cippiciani registered 118 kills and 23 total blocks this year for Roosevelt.

The Academic All-America program is the longest running and premier award for athletic and academic success across championship college sports in all three NCAA divisions, the NAIA, two-year colleges and Canadian institutions. It was established in 1952 and the honorees are nominated by CSC members then All-American honors are voted on by the membership as well. The at-large program ballot honors student-athletes from sports that do not currently have their own award.

In order to be named to the Academic All-District teams, a student-athlete must hold at least a 3.5 grade point average across their college career. In men's volleyball, a player must either appear in 90 percent of a team's sets or start 2/3 of a team's matches. For golf, the participant must appear in at least 75 percent of a team's events or start in the conference championship tournament. The list of all-district honorees is then vetted by the CSC committee, who send out a ballot for All-American honors to the membership.