Yeshiva's Rebecca Yoshor Named CoSIDA Captial One Academic All-American

Posted: Feb 19, 2014

Release courtesy of Yeshiva Athletics

Yeshiva University basketball players Benjy Ritholtz and Rebecca Yoshor just raised the stakes. The men's basketball and women's basketball stars, who last month were named to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Capital One Academic All District teams, were both named Academic All Americans by CoSIDA. Ritholtz was named a men's basketball's third team All-American, while Yoshor was named to women's basketball's second team.

Ritholtz, a History major, has a 3.98 grade point average (GPA), which was tied for the highest GPA amongst the men's first, second and third team members. He is a West Hempstead, N.Y. native and a 2010 graduate of the Hebrew Academy of Nassau County. Through twenty-three games this season, Ritholtz is averaging 14.8 points, 5.7 rebounds and 2.1 assists per game. He has connected on 41.7 percent of his field goal attempts (128-for-307), including 37.7 percent (46-for-122) from behind the three point arc. To date, Ritholtz has netted 743 points, leaving him 257 points away from becoming the twenty-seventh player in Yeshiva men's basketball history to accomplish the feat.

"I am truly honored to have received this award," said Ritholtz. "Credit goes to my amazing professors at Yeshiva University for helping me so much academically, to my teammates and coaches, and especially to my parents for their support and guidance in everything I do."

Yoshor earned a spot on the second team after last season becoming the first women's basketball player in Yeshiva history to make the team. She is an English major with a 3.92 GPA. The Houston, Texas native is leading the NCAA Division III in rebounds per game, grabbing 16.0 per, and she averaged 15.9 points, while shooting 40.2 percent (103-for-256) from the floor. In her three year career with the Maccabees, the 6-0 forward played in 54 games and scored 890 points (16.5 points per game) and grabbed 820 rebounds (15.2 rebounds per game).

"I'm very fortunate be ending my senior season and senior year at Yeshiva with this honor," said Yoshor.

To be eligible for Academic All-America consideration, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative G.P.A. of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director.

Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 20,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports.