Charlotte Stars Gianna Cutaia And Lara Kretschmer Are Scholar Athletes Of The Year
Charlotte 49ers received two of the American Conference’s prestigious academic awards announced on Wednesday, as Gianna Cutaia of Charlotte Women’s Lacrosse and Lara Kretschmer of Charlotte Volleyball were named Scholar Athlete of the Year.
Each Scholar-Athlete of Year is chosen by the American Conference’s Academic Committee on a combination of academic credentials and performance on the field.
This recognition caps off a stellar season for Gianna Cutaia, who started in all 16 games for Charlotte during the team’s inaugural campaign. The former graduate student and Spencerport, N.Y. native earned First-Team All-Conference honors after leading the American Conference in ground balls recovered per game (2.53) and caused 24 turnovers, the second-best mark in the league. In addition to being named Scholar Athlete of the Year, she was named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team.
Kretschmer, a graduate from Berlin, Germany, received her master’s degree in engineering management with a 4.0 GPA. This season, Kretschmer started in 28 of Charlotte’s 29 matches. Kretschmer led the Niners with 90 total blocks and was second with 25 solo blocks. She reached double digit digs in four matches this season with a high of 20 versus N.C. Central. In addition to being named Scholar Athlete of the Year, she was named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team.