AUSTIN, Texas – Seven Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) student-athletes have been selected to the 2016 Academic All-America® Division II Men's and Women's At-Large teams as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Amongst the honorees were four first-team selections: Grand Valley State senior men's swimmer Gianni Ferrero, Wayne State senior women's swimmer Hannah Loesch, Ashland senior women's swimmer Hannah Mattar and Findlay senior women's golfer Kasey Petty.

The Academic All-America® program is being financially supported by the NCAA Division II national governance structure to assist CoSIDA with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2015-16 Division II Academic All-America® teams program.

The at-large program for the CoSIDA Academic All-America® program includes the sports of fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming and diving, tennis, water polo for both men and women; bowling, crew and field hockey for women; and volleyball and wrestling for men.

Grand Valley State senior swimmer Gianni Ferrero returns as a first team selection. Ferrero has a 3.83 G.P.A. with his business administration major. He won the 2016 NCAA Division II national championship in the 100 Butterfly, collecting a total of six All-American honors during his visit to Indianapolis. The 2016 GLIAC Swimmer of the Year, Ferraro won four individual events during his final campaign. He matches Sponsler with 17 career All-American swimming honors.

Wayne State (Mich.) University senior swimmer Hannah Loesch rounds out the six Academic All-America® returnees on the first team. Loesch makes the biggest jump, as she was a third team selection in 2015. She was a four-time All-American at the 2016 NCAA Swimming and Diving national championship meet. In her final GLIAC meet, she won four league titles in February. The 2016 GLIAC Commissioner's Award recipient garnered nine All-American honors during her career. Academically, Loesch has a 3.89 G.P.A. with her English major.

Ashland University senior swimmer Hannah Mattar concludes her career with back-to-back CoSIDA Academic All-America® first team trophies. She won the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Commissioner's Award in April. Mattar was Ashland's lone representative at the 2015 and the 2016 NCAA Division II national championship meet. Mattar posted three top-19 finishes in NCAA individual competition as a senior. She has a 3.98 G.P.A. in hospitality management.

Findlay women's golf senior Kasey Petty is the final first team honoree from the conference. Petty earned 2015-16 GLIAC Women's Golf Athlete of the Year accolades. Petty capped her career by taking runner-up honors at the 2016 NCAA Division II National Championship (May 18-21). She shot a school record five-under par score of 283 (73, 71, 69, 70) and recorded 17 birdies at the event, the second-best total at the tournament. The Groveport, Ohio native averaged 73.97 strokes per round during the 2016 campaign, the fourth-best total among all NCAA Division II women's golfers. She tied for seventh in the nation with a total of 74 birdies and ranked fourth nationally with a 4.93 scoring average on par five holes.