AUSTIN, Texas – Massachusetts graduate student Sam Breen along with Dayton graduate student Erin Whalen were each named to the 2021-22 Division I CoSIDA Academic All-America Third Team, announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America on Wednesday afternoon.

Coincidentally, both Breen and Whalen serve as only the second student-athletes from their respective programs collect the honor.

Breen, the Atlantic 10 Player of the Year, started in every game for UMass this season, going on to ranks as the top scorer (16.9 ppg) and rebounder (10.3 rpg) on the team, helping the team to its first A-10 Title. In the A-10 Conference, Breen sits in fourth with her point average and second with her rebounding average. She leads the league in double-doubles with 17, being the only A-10 player to have 10-plus performances this year, while currently tying for 16th in the nation in the category.

The graduate student eclipsed her 1,000th career point (Dec. 8), becoming the 21st Minutewomen to achieve the feat, while also reaching her 1,000th point mark in the Massachusetts uniform (Dec. 22). She played in her 100th career game in the A-10 Quarterfinals against Fordham on March 4. Breen has registered 10 or more points in 28 of the 32 games played on the year.

Breen was a two-time A-10 Player of the Week, an A-10 All-Conference First Team member and was tabbed a 2022 Becky Hammon Mid-Major Player of the Year Semifinalist.

Whalen received Third Team Academic All-America honors after her accomplishments on the court and in the classroom. This year, Whalen earned Academic All-District accolades for the second straight season, as well as Academic All-Atlantic 10 three times.

The Charlotte, N.C., native has been named Second Team All-Conference twice and Third Team once for her efforts. Additionally, Whalen surpassed the 1,000 point mark in her Dayton career this season and ranks second on the team with 13.3 points per game.

CoSIDA added 16 members to the Academic All-America Division I women's basketball teams, highlighted by five student-athletes named to the First Team. Five members boasted a perfect 4.0 grade point average in their undergraduate or graduate work. The five student-athletes on the first team have an average GPA of 3.87, with the entire Division I team also holding a collective average GPA of 3.87.

Dayton opens the NCAA Tournament Wednesday evening with a First Four clash against DePaul in Ames, Iowa, while Massachusetts prepares for a First Round battle on Saturday with No. 5 Notre Dame in Norman, Okla.