Winter Senior Scholar-Athletes
History

ANNVILLE, Pa. (Academic News) – The Middle Atlantic Conference (MAC) Executive Director Megan Morrison announced the 2021-22 Winter MAC Senior Scholar-Athletes on Thursday. A senior student-athlete from each of the nine winter sports (men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s ice hockey, men’s and women’s swimming, men’s and women’s indoor track & field and wrestling) were recognized for their strong academic and athletic prowess.
 
 
MASON WANG
Men’s Basketball – Hood College
Mason Wang (Williamsburg, Va.) is a three-time All-MAC Commonwealth First Team selection, and he was most recently named the 2022 MAC Commonwealth Player of the Year. Wang led the Blazers to the 2022 MAC Commonwealth Title and was named the Championship MVP. Wang was named to the 2022 NABC All-America Second Team, and he is a three-time D3hoops.com All-Region selection and a two-time NABC All-District honoree. He finished his career as the all-time leading scorer in program history.

Wang is majoring in business administration with an expected graduation date in the spring of 2022. He currently holds a 3.31 grade-point average (GPA). Wang was named to the 2020 Men’s Basketball Academic All-MAC squad and is a MAC Academic Honor Roll recipient. He has been named to the NABC Honors Court twice and to the Hood College Dean’s List.
 
 
AVERI JORDAN
Women’s Basketball – DeSales University
Averi Jordan (Frackville, Pa.) is a four-time All-MAC Freedom selection, including a three-time first-team honoree. Jordan is a two-time MAC Freedom Player of the Year and a two-time MAC Freedom Championship MVP while leading the Bulldogs to four-straight conference titles. Jordan was named a D3hoops.com All-American (2022) and is a three-time WBCA All-America Honorable Mention honoree. She was named the D3hoops.com Regional Player of the Year in 2021 and 2022.

Jordan is a nursing major with an expected graduation date in the spring of 2022. She currently holds a 3.72 grade-point average (GPA). Jordan is a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-American (2^nd team in 2022 / 3^rd team in 2021) and was most recently named a Jostens Trophy Finalist this season. Jordan is a two-time Women’s Basketball Academic All-MAC honoree and has been named to the MAC Academic Honor Roll and DeSales University Dean’s List every season.
 
 
MICHAEL GURSKA
Men’s Ice Hockey – Wilkes University
Michael Gurska (Revere, Mass.) is a four-time All-MAC selection, including a three-time first-team honoree. He was named the MAC Defensive Player of the Year after the 2019-20 season. Gurska is also a two-time All-UCHC honoree. He was named an All-American by CCM Hockey/ACHA during his sophomore season. Gurska led the Colonels to MAC titles in 2020 and 2022.

Gurska is majoring in sport management, earning his degree in January with a perfect 4.0 grade-point average. He is a three-time Men’s Ice Hockey Academic All-MAC honoree, UCHC All-Academic honoree and a member of the Colonels Elite Society.
 
 
OLIVIA CINDRICH
Women’s Ice Hockey – Lebanon Valley College
Olivia Cindrich (Carnegie, Pa.) is a two-time All-MAC selection, including first-team honors in 2021 and second-team honors in 2020. During her junior season, she led Lebanon Valley in goals and was second in points and total shots. In her first and second seasons, Cindrich led the Dutchmen in points and assists.
 
Cindrich is majoring in exercise science with an expected graduation date in the spring of 2022. She currently holds a 3.79 grade-point average (GPA). Cindrich was named to the 2021 Women’s Ice Hockey Academic All-MAC Team, while also earning UCHC All-Academic and MAC Academic Honor Roll honors every season. She has also been named to the Lebanon Valley College Dean’s List every semester.
 
 
JARED STEPHAN
Men’s Swimming – King’s College
Jared Stephan (Lancaster, Pa.) is a seven-time All-MAC honoree, including a four-time individual MAC Champion (All-MAC First Team). Stephan won the 1,650-yard freestyle twice (2020, 2021), the 500-yard freestyle (2020) and the 400-yard IM (2021). Stephan currently holds both the overall MAC and MAC Championship records in the 500-yard freestyle (4:35.69) and the 1,650-yard freestyle (16:02.36). He also holds five total King’s program records.
 
Stephan is in the physician assistant program at King’s with an expected graduation date in the spring of 2023 after concluding his athletic career this past year. He currently holds a 3.96 grade-point average (GPA). Stephan is a two-time Men’s Swimming Academic All-MAC selection and a five-time King’s College Dean’s List recipient. In 2020, Stephan was named a Scholar All-American by the CSCAA.
 
 
ANGELINA FRANCESCHINI
Women’s Swimming – Widener University
Angelina Franceschini (Lawrenceville, N.J.) is a 12-time All-MAC honoree, including a seven-time second-team honoree (silver medal) and a five-time third-team honoree (bronze medal). She has six top-10 times in Widener program history, including 2^nd in the 200-freestyle; 3^rd in the 100-butterfly; 4^th in the 500-freestyle; 5^th in the 200-freestyle; 8^th in the 1,650 freestyle and 9^th in the 100-freestyle.

Franceschini is a nursing major with an expected graduation date in the spring of 2022. She currently holds a 3.83 grade-point average (GPA). She was named to the 2019 Women’s Swimming Academic All-MAC team and is a three-time MAC Academic Honor Roll recipient. Franceschini has been named to the Widener University President’s List four times and is a member of the Phi Sigma Phi and Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Societies.  
 
 
OWEN BUHR
Men’s Indoor Track & Field – Lebanon Valley College
Owen Buhr (Hanover, Pa.) is a 10-time All-MAC recipient, including a five-time individual champion (All-MAC First Team). Buhr won the 60-meter hurdles in 2022, the 200-meter dash in 2022, the 4x200-meter relay twice (2019, 2022) and the 4x400-meter relay in 2022. Buhr broke the 60-meter hurdles MAC Championship Record time in the 2022 preliminary race with a time of 8.22 seconds. He was named the 2022 MAC Indoor Track Athlete of the Year, and qualified for the NCAA Division III Championship in the 60-meter hurdles. He is a USTFCCCA All-Region honoree in several events in 2020 and 2022.

Buhr is an accounting major with an expected graduation date in the spring of 2022. He currently holds a 3.69 grade-point average (GPA). Buhr has earned Academic All-MAC, USTFCCCA All-Academic and MAC Academic Honor Roll honors. He has earned the Lebanon Valley College Dean’s List in every semester, and he was inducted into the Delta Mu Delta Honor Society. Burh received the Achievement Scholarship Award in accounting.


ESTHER SEELAND
Women’s Indoor Track & Field – Messiah University
Esther Seeland (State College, Pa.) is a 13-time All-MAC honoree during the indoor season, including an 11-time individual champion (All-MAC First Team). Seeland is a three-time MAC Champion in the 800-meter run, mile run and 4x800-meter relay (2019, 2021, 2022). She also won the 400-meter dash and distance medley relay in 2022. She earned MAC Track Athlete of the Year honors in 2022 and Rookie of the Year honors in 2019. She holds the MAC record times in the 800-meter run (2:05.39), one mile (4:52.25) and the 3,000-meter run (9:47.41). Her 800 time is also an NCAA Division III record. Seeland is a five-time NCAA All-American. She claimed the 2022 NCAA Division III Indoor 800-meter run national title.

Seeland is majoring in biomedical engineering with an expected graduation date in the spring of 2022. She currently holds a 3.99 grade-point average (GPA). Seeland is a two-time CoSIDA First Team Academic All-American (2020, 2021). She is also a two-time Academic All-MAC honoree.
 
 
YOUSSEF AIT BOULAHRI
Wrestling – Delaware Valley University
Youssef Ait Boulahri (Raleigh, N.C.) qualified for the 2022 NCAA Division III Championship after finishing in second place in the 174 lbs. class at the NCAA Division III Southeast Regional. Ait Boulahri competed in two MAC Championships where he finished in the top-six at the 2020 (fourth) and 2022 (sixth) events. He finished his senior season with a 23-6 overall record with eight pins, three major decisions and two technical falls.

Ait Boulahri is majoring in secondary education with an expected graduation date in the spring of 2022. He currently holds a 3.68 grade-point average (GPA). Ait Boulahri is an Academic All-MAC and MAC Academic Honor Roll recipient.