LA MIRADA, Calif. --- After a successful season on the field of play, Biola's fall sports proved their worth in the study hall as well, wrapping up a combined 13 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes.
 
Women's soccer led the way with six scholar-athlete nods, volleyball grabbed four and men's soccer got three.
 
After her recent CoSIDA/Capital One Academic All-American nod, senior defender Morgan Aukshunas led the way for the six Eagles women's soccer players who were honored as scholar-athletes. She was joined by fellow member of the back line, Michelle Andre, Anna Barrett, Shea Davis, Joanna Masopust and Miranda Starbeck.
 
It is Aukshunas and Andre's second consecutive year receiving the honor, while the other four received it for the first time. These six were among 507 total women's soccer student-athletes to be named a scholar-athlete by the NAIA.
 
Daniel Chew, Stephen Day and Scott Hayes continued their offseason filled with academic awards by representing the men's soccer team as national scholar-athletes. Each of the three were also named Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-Americans at the end of November.
 
Chew and Hayes both earned the scholar-athlete nod last season, Day wins it for the first time. The three representatives from Biola rank among 355 total athletes honored nationwide.
 
Amy Weststeyn led the way for Biola volleyball's four nods as she recently was named a Capital One/CoSIDA Academic All-District player and is in the running to be named an Academic All-American. The junior middle blocker was joined by Devon Brown, Gracee Gallarda and Emily Weingartner.
 
Weingartner is the only player on Biola's squad to be named a scholar-athlete for the second time, she also earned the nod last season. Three-hundred and ninety-one NAIA volleyball players were named national scholar-athletes.
 
Biola's 13 honorees is an improvement from the 10 they had across these three sports last season. Also, as it has been with every academic award thus far this season, the Eagles had the most nods in the Golden State Athletic Conference. Their 13 beat out Arizona Christian's 10 and Concordia and Westmont's nine.
 
In order to earn Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete honors, an athlete must be at least a junior, have a grade point average above 3.5 and be nominated by their athletics department.