Three members of the University of Massachusetts women’s basketball team were named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District team, according to a March 24 announcement. Lilly Ferguson, Megan Olbrys, and Allie Palmieri received recognition for their achievements both on the court and in academics.
The CSC Academic All-District teams honor student-athletes who excel in both sports and academics. To qualify, athletes must maintain at least a 3.5 grade point average and participate in at least 90 percent of games.
As part of this recognition, all three honorees advance to the national ballot for the CSC Academic All-America awards. The results for first-, second-, and third-team Academic All-America selections will be announced on April 15. Olbrys is among those eligible for national honors as her name appears on the ballot voted on by CSC members.
Ferguson, from Newington, Connecticut, is earning a bachelor’s degree in Sport Management. She played in all 30 games this season with seven starts and recorded 152 points and 185 rebounds. Her season included a career-high performance with 13 points against Akron.
Olbrys, who hails from Norwood, Massachusetts, is pursuing a bachelor’s degree in Communication. She was a consistent presence in the team’s front court this year with averages of 13.9 points and 7.8 rebounds per game—ranking sixth within her conference for rebounds per game—and placed fiftieth nationally for field goal percentage at just over fifty-one percent. Olbrys surpassed five hundred career rebounds during the season and made a notable game-winning shot against previously undefeated Miami (OH). She was also selected for the All-Mid-American Conference Second Team.
Palmieri is from Trumbull, Connecticut and is working toward her master’s degree in Management while starting twenty-eight out of twenty-nine games played this season. Palmieri averaged twelve point nine points per game—a personal best—and scored double figures twenty-three times including two twenty-point performances that led to an honorable mention on the All-MAC list.
