AUSTIN, Texas — Six Tusculum University student-athletes have been named to the 2025 NCAA Division II Women’s At-Large Academic All-District® 3 first team, as selected by the College Sports Communicators.
Earning Academic All-District® Women’s At-Large honors for Tusculum are: golfers Reagan Padilla and Emilie Bergh-Jacobsen; beach volleyball players Kyla Oppenhuis and Brynn Smith; as well as lacrosse standouts Cassidy Bourne and Jessie Carolin-Vandenberg.
The 2025 Academic All-District® Women’s At-Large Team recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances for the following NCAA sports: beach volleyball, bowling, crew/rowing, fencing, field hockey, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing and water polo.
District 3 is comprised of colleges and universities representing the South Atlantic Conference, Peach Belt Conference and Conference Carolinas. To be eligible, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 (undergraduate and graduate) or higher and must be at least a sophomore. Nominees must compete in 90 percent of the institution’s games played or start in at least 66 percent of the institution’s contests.
Padilla, a junior from Gallatin, Tennessee, has a 3.73 GPA while majoring in sports science and returns to the CSC Academic All-District® team for a second straight year. She is a member of the SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll, Dean’s List, Charles Oliver Gray Honors List and the Tusculum Athletic Director’s Honor Roll. In 2024, she was the recipient of the Division II Athletic Directors Association (D2ADA) Academic Achievement Award.
This past year, Padilla established a new single-season record with her 75.35 stroke average, edging the previous mark of 75.40 she set in 2023-24. She qualified as a competitor at last month’s NCAA II South Region Championship where she finished 53rd. That ended a remarkable run for her as her string of 22 consecutive top-20 performances dating back to her freshman season. She finished the year with eight top-20 finishes including six times in the top-10 and a pair of top-five outings. She finished fourth at the 2025 SAC Championship earning All-Tournament accolades in back-to-back seasons.
Padilla’s 76.38 career scoring average is the second-lowest ever by a Pioneer. She has accounted for 22 top-20 finishes which are sixth in program history. She is also fourth in the TU record book with her 11 top-five performances and 17 finishes in the top-10. She has logged 73 competitive rounds which are listed 15th-most in TU history.
Bergh-Jacobsen, a graduate student from Baerum, Norway, completed her Bachelor of Science degree in 2024 while majoring in business administration and graduated with cum laude honors. She has a 3.97 GPA in her graduate studies while completing her MBA. She is a member of the SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll, Athletic Director’s Honor Roll, Dean’s List and Charles Oliver Gray Honors List. She is a 2024 recipient of the D2ADA Academic Achievement Award.
Bergh-Jacobsen recorded 17 competitive rounds and finished with an 84.29 stroke average. The two-time WGCA All-America Scholar finished with an 83.76 career scoring average is tied for the 17th-lowest in the TU record book.
Borne, an attack from Kent, Ohio, earned her Bachelor of Arts in Sport Science this past May while earning cum laude distinction. She finished with a 3.50 GPA and was a member of the SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll, Dean’s List, Charles Oliver Gray Honors List and the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll.
Borne started in all 17 games this spring as she led the Pioneers with 38 goals to go along with 20 assists for her 58 points. Her four game-winning goals were tops on the roster as she recorded 20 ground balls and tallied 10 caused turnovers.
During her 33-game career, she accounted for 37 assists which are the third-most ever by a Pioneer. Her 96 career points are in the program’s top-10, which includes 59 career goals.
Carolin-Vandenberg, a junior midfielder from Yarraville, Victoria, Australia, is majoring in environmental science and has a 3.88 GPA. She is a member of the Athletic Director’s Honor Roll, SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll, Dean’s List and Charles Oliver Gray Honors List. She is a 2024 recipient of the D2ADA Academic Achievement Award.
She recorded 13 goals, four assists and 17 points in her 17 games this past spring. She led the Pioneers with her 34 ground balls while her 24 caused turnovers were the most on the team and tied for sixth-most in a TU single-season.
Carolin-Vandenberg has played in 49 career games with 35 starts which includes 31 goals, seven assists and 38 points. Her 50 caused turnovers are fifth in the TU record book while her 90 career ground balls are the eighth-most in program history.
Oppenhuis graduated with magna cum laude honors while earning her Bachelor of Arts degree in elementary education. She finished with a 3.86 GPA and is a two-time recipient of the D2ADA Academic Achievement Award. She is a member of the Dean’s List, SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll, Athletic Director’s Honor Roll and the Charles Oliver Gray Honors List.
She posted an 18-10 overall record for the beach volleyball team which included a 6-4 mark in her South Atlantic Conference Carolinas (SACC) matches. She helped the Pioneers to a 15-15 record and a runner-up finish during the inaugural season of SACC Beach Volleyball. She and doubles teammate Landry Tea, were named the SACC Pair of the Week last April.
The Crown Point, Indiana native has accounted for 40 career victories which are the seventh-most in school history.
Smith, a sophomore from Wellsburg, Iowa, has accumulated a 3.82 GPA and is majoring in sport science and pre-physical therapy. She is a member of the SAC Commissioner’s Honor Roll, Athletic Director’s Honor Roll, Dean’s List and Charles Oliver Gray Honors List.
She finished the 2025 campaign with a 19-10 overall record and earned All-South Atlantic Conference Carolinas first team laurels. Her 19 victories were tied for most on the team to move her career mark to 32-30.
The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes women’s at-large honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA. Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced July 8.
The Division II and III CSC Academic All-America® programs are partially financially supported by the NCAA Division II and III national governance structures to assist CSC with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2024-2025 Divisions II and III Academic All-America® programs
