AUSTIN, Texas — For the second consecutive year, Otsego, Michigan-native Grace VerHage has been named to the Academic All-America Team selected by the College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA) as announced Tuesday morning.

The fifth-year transfer was named to the Academic All-America Second Team bolstering a 3.98 cumulative grade point average while leading the Pacific West Conference in goals per game (0.786) and points per game (1.79), ranking No. 12 and No. 17, respectively, in all of Division II.

VerHage helped lead the Vulcans to an unbeaten regular season to claim back-to-back PacWest titles, this time winning it outright in the regular-season finale when she netted her second career hat-trick to defeat Azusa Pacific, 3-1.

In 2021-22, VerHage was named to the Academic All-America Second Team while at Ferris State University where she earned a bachelor's of science in finance with minors in international business and French.

VerHage, along with Daelenn Tokunaga, Jodi Lillie, Maisie Paulson, Filippa Graneld and Jacelyn Cambra were previously named as 2022 Academic All-District honorees.

GRACE VERHAGE NAMED TO THE 2022 CSC DIVISION II ACADEMIC ALL-AMERICA SECOND TEAM #ImuaVulcans 🌋 #D2WSOC pic.twitter.com/hDujWXRKJQ

— Hawaii Hilo Vulcans Athletics (@HiloVulcans) December 6, 2022

Among the list of criteria for nominations, student-athletes must have been a starter or important reserve (played in at least 50 percent of games) with at least a 3.50 cumulative GPA and been at their current institution for at least one full calendar year with the exception of graduate transfers. Although VerHage is not a "true" graduate transfer — as she is using her 2020-21 COVID eligibility exemption — her nomination is valid due to having earned an undergrad degree at her previous institution.

College Sports Communicators

College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) was founded in 1957 and is a 3,200+ member national association for strategic, creative and digital communicators across intercollegiate athletics in the United States and Canada.

The distinguished Academic All-America program began in 1952, and since then, has honored more than 38,000 deserving student-athletes from numerous sports across all divisions with these elite Academic All-America scholar-athlete honors.

Academic All-District nominations are submitted by athletics communications professionals based on program criteria for athletics accomplishments and academic achievements. Academic All-District selections advance to the national ballot where CSC members vote and approximately 1,750 student-athletes receive Academic All-America honors.

In Aug. 2022, CoSIDA changed its name to College Sports Communicators.