Kayla Dreese and Cassandra Valdez Named CSC Academic All-District Winners
SAN ANTONIO (May 29, 2024) – Kayla Dreese and Cassandra Valdez of Our Lady of the Lake University (OLLU) have been selected to the 2023-2024 Academic All-District® Softball Team. The program recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom. Recipients must be a starter or important reserve with a 3.50 cumulative grade point average and above.
College Sports Communicators (formerly the College Sports Information Directors of American – CoSIDA), such as OLLU's 18-year member Patricia Constantin and second-year member Ryan O'Keefe, submit nominees for consideration. The organization boasts more than 3,000 members, and all are eligible to vote for all sports teams yearly.
Both Dreese and Valdez were selected as CSC Academic All-America finalists. They will advance to the national ballot, where CSC members will vote on them.
Kayla Dreese joined the Saints team in the 2018-2019 season. She was part of the 2019 Red River Athletic Conference (RRAC) Tournament Semifinals Team that earned NAIA Scholar Team honors. In 2020, the team was an NAIA Scholar Team. In 2021, Dreese was part of the RRAC Tournament Semifinals and NAIA Scholar teams. In 2022, the team won the regular season, was the tournament runners-up and played in the opening round of the NAIA Softball Championships. The Saints were also an NAIA Scholar Team. She earned Academic All-America and Daktronics NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors and was named to the All-Conference First and All-Tournament teams. Dreese was selected as OLLU Big Blue Top Saint Female Athlete of the Year in 2022. Last season, the Saints won the regular season and tournament titles and made it to the NAIA National Opening Round. The Saints competed in their first-ever NAIA World Series. This season, Dreese was named All-Conference First Team and All-Tournament First Team. She also received NAIA Scholar-Athlete and NFCA NAIA All-Region First Team honors. The Saints went on to win the RRAC Regular-Season and were runners-up in the tournament. They captured the NAIA Opening Round – San Antonio Bracket title and are getting set for the NAIA World Series Championship title game after going undefeated with a 3-0 record. She received her Bachelor of Science in Biology in May 2022 and is pursuing a Master of Business Administration in Management.
Cassandra Valdez joined the Saints team in the 2021-2022 season. In her first season, the team won the regular season and the tournament, participating in the opening round of the NAIA Softball Championships. The Saints were also an NAIA Scholar Team. Valdez earned NAIA All-American Honorable Mention, RRAC All-Conference First Team, All-Tournament, RRAC Player of the Year, RRAC Pitcher of the Year, and was an RRAC Scholar-Athlete. In 2023, the Saints won the regular season and tournament titles and made it to the NAIA National Opening Round – San Antonio Bracket, which they won. The Saints went on to compete in their first-ever NAIA World Series. Valdez was named NAIA All-American First Team, NFCA NAIA All-American First Team, NFCA All-Region First Team, NAIA Scholar-Athlete, RRAC All-Conference First Team, All-Tournament, Tournament MVP, RRAC Player of the Year, RRAC Pitcher of the Year and RRAC Scholar-Athlete honors. This season, Valdez received NAIA Pitcher of the Week, NAIA Scholar-Athlete, RRAC All-Conference First Team (Pitcher), RRAC All-Conference Second Team (Third Baseman), All-Tournament, RRAC Pitcher of the Year and RRAC Scholar-Athlete honors. She received OLLU's Big Blue Top Saint Female Athlete of the Year award. She received her Bachelor of Arts in Visual and New Media Arts in May 2023 and is pursuing a Master of Arts in Literature, Creative Writing and Social Justice.
The NAIA CSC Academic All-America® program is partially financially supported through the NAIA national office.
For more information about the CSC Academic All-District® and Academic All-America® Teams program, visit AcademicAllAmerica.com.