Full PhillySIDA Releases: (W) | (M)
PHILADELPHIA - Three Haverford College student-athletes have been named to the PhillySIDA Academic All-Area At-Large teams, as announced in a release on Wednesday morning.
These teams are nominated and voted on by the sports information offices of 30 colleges and universities in the Philadelphia Metropolitan area. Both the men's and women's groups consist of 10 student-athletes each, with a Performer of the Year also selected. Nominated student-athletes must be in at least their second year at their current institution and maintain a minimum GPA of 3.30.
Michael Pyo (men's fencing), Sophie Gardiner (women's fencing), and Noah Tunis (men's squash) earned the honor for the Fords for the 2023-24 season.
Pyo has excelled both athletically and academically, earning USFCA Division III Honorable Mention All-America this season, as well as Second-team All-MACFA for the past two seasons. Notably, Pyo secured Haverford's first First All-American honors since 2011 and achieved a commendable 24th place finish at the NCAA Mid-Atlantic/South Regional, competing against predominantly Division I opponents. Pyo also played a key role in the foil squad's silver medal finish at the MACFA Championships in March.
Gardiner has earned distinctions such as National Intercollegiate Women's Fencing Association (NIWFA) Second-team Foil for the 2023-24 season and Eastern Women's Fencing Conference (EWFC) First-Team Foil in both 2021-22 and 2022-23. Additionally, she was named EWFC Woman of the Year Finalist in 2024. Gardiner qualified for the Division I-III NCAA Mid-Atlantic/South Regional, where she finished 33rd overall.
Tunis earns the award for a second consecutive season. The second consecutive PhillySIDA accolade adds to his already impressive achievements, including his inclusion on the Liberty League All-Academic Team for the 2023-24 season. Tunis has consistently competed at the highest level, exclusively playing at the top flight during the 2023-24 season and amassing 19 singles wins across the top three flights in his career. He also represented Haverford at the College Squash Association (CSA) individual championships, where he reached the consolation semifinals of the Molloy North bracket.