Pittsburgh, Pa. – A quartet of Duquesne University swimming and diving student-athletes were named to the 2024-25 College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District® Team Tuesday, announced by the organization. Senior
Haley Scholer, juniors
Ashley Felitsky and
Sydney Severini, and sophomore
Lexi Sundgren all earned the honor for the Dukes.
The Academic All-District® program recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. To be eligible for the distinction, student-athletes must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically, maintain at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average, as well as competed in a minimum of five competitions or finished in the top eight at the conference championships.
Scholer, a native of Jamison, Pa., is pursuing a marketing degree while maintaining an impressive 3.93 cumulative GPA. At this year's Atlantic 10 Championships, she showcased her talent by earning five medals, including three individual honors. She successfully defended her title in the 200-yard backstroke, winning gold for the second consecutive season with a personal-best time of 1:54.96, setting a new school record and achieving an NCAA B Cut. Scholer added a silver medal in the 100-yard backstroke, clocking another personal best at 53.63, before securing bronze in the 200-IM with a time of 2:00.37. Her success extended to the relay events as well; on the first day of competition, she anchored the 800-yard freestyle relay team to a second-place finish and contributed to the 400-medley relay squad, which set a school record (3:39.92) while earning silver.
A junior diver from Cranberry, Pa., Felitsky is a finance major and has posted a 3.89 GPA. As the Dukes' top diver this season, she has competed in both the one-meter and three-meter events. At the NCAA Diving Zone, she placed 17th in the one-meter dive with a final score of 239.75 across six dives, making her the highest-ranking Atlantic 10 competitor. She also competed in the three-meter dive, earning a score of 194.95. This marked her third appearance at zones for the one-meter dive and her first for the three-meter. At the conference championships, Felitsky secured an eighth-place finish in the one-meter with a score of 212.80. She then went on to shine at the WVU Tri-Meet, earning a silver medal in the one-meter dive with a score of 253.86 and a bronze in the three-meter dive with a final score of 253.55.
Severini, a junior from Wood-Ridge, N.J., has excelled both academically and athletically, maintaining a 3.97 cumulative GPA while pursuing a degree in speech pathology. At the league championships, she earned two medals, contributing to the 400-medley relay team that set a school record with a time of 3:39.92 and secured a silver medal. On the final day of competition, she claimed an individual bronze in the 200-yard breaststroke with a personal-best time of 2:11.92, setting a new school record and achieving an NCAA B Cut. She continued her strong performances at the CSCAA National Invitational Championships, finishing fourth in the 200 breaststroke with a time of 2:13.37. Earlier in the season, Severini showcased her dominance in a tri-meet against West Virginia and Villanova, capturing first place in the 200-yard breaststroke with a time of 2:16.56.
A sophomore from Pittsburgh, Pa., Sundgren is earning a degree in occupational therapy while maintaining a perfect 4.00. At the Atlantic 10 Championships, she earned two medals, including a silver in the 200-yard freestyle with a time of 1:49.41, finishing just five-tenths of a second shy of first place. She also swam the first leg of the 800-yard freestyle relay, helping her team secure silver with a time of 7:15.75. Sundgren continued to impress by setting a personal best in the 1650-yard freestyle with a time of 17:04.83. At the CSCAA Time Trials, she placed fourth in the 100-yard freestyle, clocking in at 52.42. Her success extended to the CSCAA National Invitational Championships, where she contributed to the Dukes' seventh-place finish in the 800-yard freestyle relay out of 28 teams, posting a time of 7:22.21. Earlier in the season, Sundgren was recognized as A-10 Co-Performer of the Week.
For the second time in the last three years, the Dukes have placed four student-athletes on the All-District team. Scholer, Felitsky, and Severini have each earned the honor for the second consecutive season while Sundrgren garners the honor for the first time.
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