Jim Laskarzewski '86/Jim Stankiewicz Photos

COLCHESTER, Vt. - Saint Michael's College men's ice hockey May graduate David Ciancio (Scituate, R.I./Seahawks Hockey Club) and men's lacrosse May graduate Sebastian Simonson (Spruce Grove, Alberta/Spruce Grove Composite) both earned prestigious College Sports Communicators (CSC) NCAA Division II Academic All-America At-Large honors on Wednesday. Simonson joined Alpine skiing's Simen Strand '24 as the lone three-time CSC Academic All-Americans in Saint Michael's Athletics history, while Ciancio landed his initial accolade.
 
The duo was among 45 student-athletes honored, with Simonson claiming a spot on the second team for the second straight year after being placed on the third squad following his sophomore campaign. Ciancio was a third team selection. Saint Michael's was one of nine NCAA Division II schools with multiple selections, joining Adelphi University as the lone Northeast 10 Conference institutions on that list. This marks the seventh time Saint Michael's nabbed two Academic All-America laurels in the same school year, and the fifth since 2017-18.
 
National membership of the College Sports Communicators, formerly known as the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), votes for Academic All-America selections. Student-athletes who are major contributors and tote at least a 3.50 cumulative grade-point average by their sophomore seasons are eligible.
 
Ciancio, one of only two NCAA Division II men's ice hockey players to earn CSC Academic All-America this year, joins Michel Dupont '98 and fellow defenseman Danny Divis '17 as the lone members of his program to land Academic All-America. Dupont was a two-time selection, while Divis was honored as a senior.
 
A two-year captain and two-time New England Hockey Writers Association (NEHWA) Division II/III All-Star and NE10 All-Conference first team selection, Ciancio was named NE10 Championship most valuable player as a senior after potting three points in a 5-1 title-game victory at Saint Anselm College. The business administration and accounting double major graduated with a 3.87 GPA. He led the NE10 in blocked shots (52) while pacing the Purple Knights in goals (13) and tying for the lead in points (25), power-play goals (4), game-winning goals (3) and +/- (+13). Ciancio was a finalist for the 2025 Joe Concannon Award, recognizing the top American-born men's ice hockey player at a New England NCAA Division II/III institution. He was a second-time CSC Academic All-District and NE10 Academic All-Conference honoree as a senior, when he was also acknowledged with the NE10 Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence.
 
At year's end, Ciancio was the institutional selection for NE10 Man of the Year before being lauded at the College's 118th Commencement with the Father Prevel Memorial Award, which recognizes the top male in the graduating class. The 2024-25 Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) president claimed an award which honors a graduate who has demonstrated commitment and achievement related to the intellectual, spiritual, moral and social values of Saint Michael's.
 
Simonson remains the only men's lacrosse student-athlete in College history to nail down an Academic All-America accolade. Earlier on Wednesday, he was named NE10 Sport Excellence Award winner for his sport. Simonson was recognized as a United States Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (USILA) Scholar All-America last week after earning NE10 Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year last month. He garnered USILA All-America second team and USA Lacrosse All-America honorable mention nods for the spring season, bringing his career All-America count to four over the past two years.
 
Simonson added additional honors as New England Intercollegiate Lacrosse Association (NEILA) Player of the Year and NE10 Offensive Player of the Year, notching 68 points, 36 goals and 32 helpers to set school records for points and assists. While also setting school marks for career goals (134) and points (213) this spring, the captain is 15th in NE10 history in points and 17th in goals. Simonson graduated with a 3.86 GPA as a biochemistry major and also claimed NE10 Academic All-Conference accolades on three occasions. This spring, he landed NEILA All-Academic and NE10 Presidents' Award for Academic Excellence laurels, both of which recognize graduating student-athletes. During the Department of Athletics' Block 'M' Awards ceremony in May, he also earned an Outstanding Senior Student-Athlete Award.
 
CSC sponsors Academic All-America programs for baseball, basketball, cross country/track & field, football, soccer, softball, swimming & diving, tennis and women's volleyball, while 14 more are grouped into the At-Large category, including field hockey, ice hockey, lacrosse and skiing, all of which are offered at Saint Michael's. Through the Academic All-America program, CSC names Academic All-District and Academic All-America teams at the NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II and NCAA Division III levels, while the College Division team combines NAIA, Canadian and two-year schools.