Left to right: Sam Krahn, Donovan Nguyen, Chris Spencer, Alexis Miller, Laura Cazacu (Ryan Mangulabnan accepting for Tanner Blaney).

General 4/21/2022 2:20:00 PM Jeff Weiss, Senior Associate Director of Athletics/Media Relations

WSU Recognizes Top Student-Athletes At 22nd Annual Academic Recognition Luncheon

DETROIT -- The Wayne State University Department of Athletics honored the Warrior student-athletes who recorded at least a 3.50 grade-point average for the Fall 2021 term during its 22nd annual Academic Recognition Luncheon held earlier today at the Mort Harris Recreation and Fitness Center on the WSU campus.

Eight Deans' Award winners were also recognized for having the highest cumulative grade-point average among all student-athletes in that particular college:

* College of Liberal Arts and Sciences - Daniela Moreno (Bogota, Colombia), who is a senior on the women's golf team, has received the Deans' Award for the second consecutive year. An Economics major, who earned Athletic Director's Honor Roll (term GPA 3.5+) all seven semesters with a perfect 4.00 term GPA every semester, is a three-time (2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21) Women's Golf Coaches Association (WGCA) All-American Scholar. Moreno has also been recognized for her performance on the golf course twice earning Second Team All-GLIAC honors (as a freshman and as a junior), and Honorable Mention All-GLIAC accolades as a sophomore. She was voted to the CoSIDA Academic All-America At-Large Third Team a year ago.

* College of Education - Donovan Nguyen (Shelby Township, Mich. / Utica), a senior on the men's tennis squad, was selected to receive the Deans' Award for the second straight year. The Exercise and Sport Science major has earned Athletic Director's Honor Roll (term GPA 3.5+) all seven semesters with a perfect 4.00 term GPA five times. A three-time (2018-19, 2019-20 and 2020-21) Intercollegiate Tennis Association Scholar-Athlete, Nguyen will earned his third consecutive GLIAC All-Academic Excellence honor later this spring. He has battled through injuries to post a 16-8 career singles mark along with a 12-11 record in doubles action.

* Mike Ilitch School of Business - Laura Cazacu (London, England), a senior on the women's tennis team, is graduating next month with a degree in Management. She has earned Athletic Director's Honor Roll accolades (term GPA 3.5+) all seven semesters with a perfect 4.00 term GPA every semester. Cazacu will be a four-year ITA Scholar-Athlete. She was First Team All-GLIAC in 2019-20 after earning Second Team All-GLIAC honors as a freshman. Cazacu has a combined 113-38 record in singles (56-15) and doubles (57-23) with her singles winning percentage ranking in the top 10 in school history.

* College of Fine, Performing, and Communication Arts - Sam Krahn (Dexter, Mich.), a senior on the men's swimming and diving squad, earned Athletic Director's Honor Roll status (term GPA 3.5+) all seven semesters, including three terms with a perfect 4.00 GPA. He competed in the 1000 free, 1650 free, 200 breast and 400 individual medley at the GLIAC Championships in February scoring in the 1000 free. The Journalism major will be a three-time recipient of the D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award.

* College of Engineering - Chris Spencer (Jackson, Mich. / Lumen Christi Catholic), a Biomedical Engineering Honors major, is a senior on the men's swimming and diving team. He earned Athletic Director's Honor Roll status (term GPA 3.5+) six times, including four 4.00 terms. A three-time member of the GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team, Spencer scored at the GLIAC Championships all four years in the 200 back, and twice each in the 100 back and 400 individual medley. He will be a three-time recipient of the D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award.

* College of Nursing - Taylor Wagner (St. Joseph, Mich. / Lakeshore) was a fifth-year senior on the volleyball squad. She earned Athletic Director's Honor Roll recognition (term GPA 3.5+) all nine semesters, including three 4.00 terms. Wagner was a three-time All-GLIAC honoree receiving Second Team accolades last fall after being named to the Honorable Mention All-GLIAC team the two years prior. A four-time member of the GLIAC All-Academic Excellence, this is the second consecutive year Wagner has garnered a Deans' Award.

* School of Social Work - Tanner Blaney (Swartz Creek, Mich. / Linden) was a senior on the men's cross country squad. A Social Work major, he has been named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll (term GPA 3.5+) all seven previous terms, including three 4.00 semesters. Selected as the squad's Most Improved runner as a freshman, Blaney competed at both the GLIAC Championships and NCAA Regionals in 2018. As a sophomore, he earned a personal-best time in the 6K at the GLIAC Championships. A three-year GLIAC All-Academic Excellence Team honoree, Blaney will be a three-time recipient of the D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award.

* Honors College - Alexis Miller (Howell, Mich.), who was a senior on the women's basketball team, earned the Deans' Award for the third consecutive year (first two years was the Mike Ilitch School of Business). She graduated this past December (in three-and-a-half years) with a degree in Finance after garnering a spot on the Athletic Director's Honor Roll (term GPA 3.5+) all seven semesters at WSU, with a 4.00 term GPA every semester. Miller will be a three-time recipient of the D2 ADA Academic Achievement Award. She played in 106 games during her collegiate career.

A school-record sixty-two (62) student-athletes recorded a perfect 4.00 term GPA with over 74 percent of Warrior student-athletes having a cumulative GPA above a 3.00 after the Fall 2021 semester.

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Players Mentioned

#11 Taylor Wagner: OH/MB; 6' 0"; Redshirt Senior; 3

Tanner Blaney: 6' 0"; Senior

#10 Alexis Miller: G; 5' 7"; Graduate Student

Donovan Nguyen: 5' 7"; Senior

Daniela Moreno: 5' 5"; Senior

Laura Cazacu: 5' 7"; Senior

Sam Krahn: Breast/Free; 6' 3"; Senior

Chris Spencer: Back/IM; 5' 9"; Senior

Players Mentioned

#11 Taylor Wagner
: 6' 0"; Redshirt Senior; 3
: OH/MB

Tanner Blaney
: 6' 0"; Senior

#10 Alexis Miller
: 5' 7"; Graduate Student
: G

Donovan Nguyen
: 5' 7"; Senior

Daniela Moreno
: 5' 5"; Senior

Laura Cazacu
: 5' 7"; Senior

Sam Krahn
: 6' 3"; Senior
: Breast/Free

Chris Spencer
: 5' 9"; Senior
: Back/IM