ERIE, Pa. – Gannon's
Michael Decsey (Mississauga, Ontario/Erindale) and
Daisuke Takagi (Tsukuba, Japan/Namiki) have been named to the Capital One Academic All-District II men's at-large first team released Thursday afternoon. As a result, both student-athletes will now move to the national ballot for Academic All-America consideration.
Decsey earned a spot on the academic all-district first team with a 3.89 cumulative grade point average. The Political Science major was named a Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) Scholar-Athlete as a true freshman last season. The sophomore swimmer won three individual titles and two relay gold medals while posting 13 PSAC-qualifying times during the 2012-13 campaign. He earned all-conference honors as part of the 200-yard medley relay team, swimming the opening leg for a team that finished third at the PSAC Championships.
The Mississauga, Ontario, native placed among the top three seven times during individual events. Decsey met PSAC-qualifying standards 13 times in the 100-yard and 200-yard backstroke events. He also helped relay teams place among the top three 13 times.
Takagi secured a first-team selection with a 3.54 cumulative GPA as a Computer Science major. The junior water polo student-athlete recorded 45 goals, 47 steals, 34 assists, 27 earned kick-outs and eight field saves during 19 matches this season. A PSAC Scholar-Athlete every year, Takagi received the Division II Athletics Directors Association Academic Achievement Award last season.
The Tsukuba, Japan, native earned All-Collegiate Water Polo Association (CWPA) honors in a conference comprised of mostly Division I schools, becoming only the third Golden Knight in school history to earn the honor. His single-season numbers ranked seventh all-time at Gannon in assists, ninth in earned kick-outs, 10th in steals and 12th in goals. Takagi ranks third all-time at Gannon in assists (90), sixth in goals (131) and eighth in steals (125).
The 2013 Capital One Academic All-District II men's at-large teams were selected by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). The at-large teams consist of all sports except football, soccer, volleyball, basketball, baseball, track and field, softball and cross country. The first-team members will now move to the national ballot for Academic All-America consideration. The All-America teams are scheduled to be released Wednesday, June 5.
The NCAA Division II District II consists of the same NCAA Division II colleges and universities listed athletically in the NCAA Division II Atlantic Region. The district includes the PSAC, the West Virginia Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WVIAC), the Central Intercollegiate Athletic Association (CIAA) and independent Washington Adventist. To be nominated for the Academic All-America program, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore with a 3.3 cumulative grade point average and a starter or significant reserve on his team.
