WALTHAM, Mass. – Three members of the Brandeis University fencing team have been named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC, formerly CoSIDA) Academic All-District At Large teams. Recent graduate Maggie Shealy of Chapel Hill, North Carolina, was honored for the women, while sophomores Tony Escueta of Grand Prairie, Texas, and Tal Kronrod of Concord, Massachusetts, were recognized for the men. All three will be eligible for CSC Academic All-America honors, which will be announced in June.
Shealy was the recipient of Brandeis's Max I. Silber Award winner for the outstanding athlete from a women's team in 2022-23. She was a first-team All-American in sabre and was named the United States Fencing Coaches Association Women's Sabre Co-Fencer of the Year after finishing first in pool play at the NCAA Championships and third after the elimination bracket. Shealy set a school record with an 84-11 record during the regular season, including an undefeated mark in Northeast Fencing Conference play, earning NFC Fencer of the Year honors. She was also fenced at national and international competitions, earning a bronze medal at the US Championships. Outside of competition, Shealy posted a 3.86 grade-point average as a politics major with a minor in women's studies, earning Dean's List every semester and USFCA Scholar of Distinction honors. She worked in the University's admissions department and as an accessibility note-taker.
Escueta was an NCAA qualifier as a first-year, earning Division III Sabre and Newcomer of the Year honors. This year, he went 11-10 at the NCAAs to claim the 12th and final National Collegiate All-America spot. Escueta's 11 wins were the most for a Brandeis men's fencer at nationals since Adam Mandel '13 also won 11 in 2013. He was the only Division III men's fencer to finish in the top 12 of any weapon this year. During the regular season, Escueta posted a 38-15 record, second-best on the Judges. Off the strip, Escueta has a 3.80 grade-point average as a politics major with minors in legal studies and international and global studies. He has been on the Dean's List each semester so far in his career and has been named a USFCA Scholar of Distinction.
Kronrod led Brandeis's epee squad with a 30-25 dual-meet record the fourth-highest win total on the men's team. He reached the semifinals of NCAA Northeast Regionals, finishing in 18th place, earning himself USFCA Division III Honorable Mention honors. Kronrod has a 3.81 GPA as a computer science major and has been on the Dean's List every semester, earning USFCA Scholar of Distinction recognition. He spent last summer as a software engineering intern at Sophos Cybersecurity in Burlington, Massachusetts.
The 2023 Academic All-District® Men's At-Large Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances in the athletic realm and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.
Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced June 21.
The Division II and III CSC Academic All-America® programs are partially financially supported by the NCAA Division II and III national governance structures to assist CSC with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2022-23 Divisions II and III Academic All-America® programs. The NAIA CSC Academic All-America® program is partially financially supported through the NAIA national office.