College Sports Communicators has announced its Academic All-District Team for the 2024 volleyball season, with Milwaukee earning a record four selections. The honorees are Kara Erdmann, Lakyn Graves, Madi Malone, and Natalie Schmitz.
For Madi Malone, this marks her second consecutive selection. Her teammates, Kara Erdmann, Lakyn Graves, and Natalie Schmitz have each been selected for the first time.
Kara Erdmann maintains a 3.763 GPA while studying finance and marketing at Milwaukee. She was named the Horizon League’s Defensive Player of the Year after finishing second in NCAA Division I with 719 digs and 5.85 digs per set. This achievement also set a new single-season record for Milwaukee.
Lakyn Graves boasts a perfect 4.000 GPA as she pursues her degree in biomedical engineering at UW-Milwaukee. She led the Horizon League in total blocks with 130 and solo blocks with 28 in 2024.
Madi Malone is completing her undergraduate studies in elementary & middle school administration with a GPA of 3.553. In the 2024 season, she ranked fifth in the Horizon League for both total points and kills.
Natalie Schmitz holds a 3.903 GPA while studying accounting at Milwaukee. She was second on her team and twelfth in the Horizon League with an average of 2.92 kills per set this season.
Milwaukee’s four selections are unprecedented for their program history, surpassing previous years where they had two selections each in 2023, 2021, and 2019.
Six teams from the Horizon League had representatives on the Academic All-District listing alongside Milwaukee: Oakland, Purdue Fort Wayne, Robert Morris, Youngstown State each had four selections while IU Indianapolis had two recognized athletes.
Erdmann is also eligible for Academic All-America honors; previously awarded to Lauren Felsing (2008 and 2009) and Cheryl Hegemann (2006).
Milwaukee concluded their season with back-to-back seasons of achieving over twenty wins since their performance in the early 2010s.
