STANFORD, Calif. - Junior Emily Arbuthnott (women's tennis), senior Ella Eastin (women's swimming and diving), junior Albane Valenzuela (women's golf), senior Sameer Kumar (men's tennis) and junior Makenzie Fischer (women's water polo) each earned Academic All-District honors from the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on Thursday.
The academic all-district at-large teams recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom. All five Cardinal advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Team ballot, where All-America honorees will be selected in the coming weeks.
Makenzie FischerA 2016 Olympic gold medalist and two-time NCAA champion, Fischer put together one of the most impressive offensive seasons in MPSF history. The conference's player of the year and NCAA Tournament MVP scored a league-best 3.50 goals per game, the second-highest average in the MPSF over the past 15 seasons. Fischer's 84 goals this season are second in school history and she's sixth on Stanford's all-time scoring list (205). A mechanical engineering major with a 4.027 GPA, the junior was a CoSIDA academic All-American last season, the second woman in program history to earn the honor (Maggie Steffens).
Emily ArbuthnottAn economics major, Arbuthnott holds a 4.14 GPA and was recently named to the Pac-12 All-Academic First Team for the second straight season. Ranked No. 44 nationally, Arbuthnott (32-5 overall, 19-2 duals) leads the Cardinal in overall victories and has lost only twice since Nov. 9. Named an All-Pac-12 Second Team selection and competing mainly at the No. 4 spot, Arbuthnott is 7-5 against ranked opponents and 12-2 against Pac-12 foes. Arbuthnott has clinched a team-best nine matches, increasing her career total to 27. She is 9-2 in three-setters this season and 21-4 for her career. Arbuthnott will also participate in the NCAA Singles Championships, May 20-25.
Sameer KumarBoasting a 3.92 GPA as an economics major, Kumar was the Pac-12 Men's Tennis Scholar-Athlete of the Year. The senior was a three-time Pac-12 All-Academic First Team selection and a three-time ITA Scholar-Athlete. Ranked in the ITA poll for most of the season, Kumar finished his senior campaign with a team-best 23 wins overall. He posted a 13-4 dual record, highlighted by a three-set clincher in a 4-3 come-from-behind win at No. 5 USC. Kumar's 46 career dual victories ranks 32nd in program history. The senior captain helped guide No. 12 Stanford to 19 wins and an appearance in the Round of 16 at the NCAA Championships.
Ella EastinThe first woman in history to win four NCAA titles in the 400 individual medley relay, Eastin holds a 3.74 GPA as a human biology major. The Pac-12 Women's Swimming and Diving Scholar Athlete of the Year was a CoSIDA Academic All-American last year and is a three-time Pac-12 All-Academic honoree. She earned six All-America honors in 2019 and led Stanford to its third straight Pac-12 and NCAA championships. A team captain, Eastin won national titles in the 400 IM and 800 free relay as well as Pac-12 titles in the 400 IM, 500 free and 200 back, and finished her career with four American, NCAA and school records.
Albane ValenzuelaA political science major, Valenzuela holds a 4.02 GPA en route to leading the Cardinal to the NCAA Championships. The ANNIKA award finalist tied for first at the Pac-12 Championship with a 4-under 209. She has finished in the top 10 four times this season, including a win at the East Lake Cup in October with a 4-under 68, and a third-place finish at the Stanford Intercollegiate in October with a 7-under 206. So far this season she has a scoring average of 72.23 with eight rounds under par and 11 rounds at even par or better.
