GREENWOOD, Ind. – Four Washington & Jefferson College basketball juniors have been selected to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District® Team, as announced by the organization on Tuesday (March 24).
 
The 2025-26 Academic All-District® Basketball Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom.
 
To be eligible for CSC Academic All-District®, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically, hold a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or higher, and be a standout on the field, competing in at least 90 percent of their team's games or starting at least 66 percent of their team's games.
 
Earning a spot on the 2025-26 Academic All-District® Women's Basketball Team are juniors Marina Grado (Monroeville, Pa./Gateway), Katie Kovalchick (Shelocta, Pa./Indiana Area), and Jaden Wan (Newtown, Pa./Council Rock).
 
Grado started all 29 games for the Presidents throughout the 2025-26 season. The point guard averaged 7.7 points per game and led the team with 97 assists. Grado also shot .845 from the free-throw line. Defensively, Grado had 51 steals and averaged just under four rebounds per game, bringing in 111 this past season.
 
In the classroom, Grado has accumulated a 3.96 GPA as a double major in computer science and business administration with an emphasis in data science. The junior has been named to the PAC Spring Academic Honor Roll twice, following the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons.
 
Kovalchick led the Presidents with a .528 field goal percentage. The junior post player also made starts in all 29 games for the Red & Black. The All-PAC First Team selection also led the team with 441 total points and 183 rebounds hauled in. Defensively, Kovalchick made 31 blocks and 33 steals.
 
Kovalchick has built a 3.69 GPA with a major in environmental science. The junior was also named to the PAC Spring Academic Honor Roll following the 2023-24 season.
 
Wan made appearances in 28 of the Presidents 29 games, starting in eight of them. The forward averaged six points per game and wrapped up 83 rebounds. The junior finished the season shooting .385 from beyond the three-point arc, trailing only Kovalchick. Wan also shot .818 from the free-throw line.
 
In the classroom, Wan has accumulated a 3.79 GPA with a major in biology. Wan currently serves as the president of W&J's Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) and sits on the NCAA Division III national SAAC committee as a member. The junior has been inducted into the Alpha Lambda Delta Honors Society and is currently a Dean's List recipient. Wan has also been awarded the Rule, Hughes, Murphy and Reardon Awards while at W&J. Additionally, the junior has been accepted to the Thrive Scholar Fellows and the Temple Medical Scholars programs.
 
Earning a spot on the 2025-26 Academic All-District® Men's Basketball Team is junior Nathan Plotner (Parkersburg, W.Va./Parkersburg South)
 
Plotner started all but one game this past season. The junior post player averaged 14 points per game throughout the 2025-26 campaign, leading the team with 420 total points scored. Defensively, Plotner had 83 blocks, 61 steals, and 201 total rebounds. These numbers led Plotner to be selected as the PAC Defensive Player of the Year, and the Most Outstanding Player during the PAC conference tournament.
 
Additionally, the junior captain was selected to the All-PAC Second Team based on play throughout the season and received a D3hoops.com Team of the Week selection in January.
 
In the classroom, Plotner has accumulated a 3.76 GPA with a major in accounting. The junior has been named to the PAC Spring Academic Honor Role both following the 2023-24 and 2024-25 seasons.
 
Plotner and Kovalchick have been selected as CSC Academic All-America® finalists. They will advance to the national ballot to be voted on by CSC members. Voting will open on Tuesday (March 24) at noon. 
 
Both teams made the NCAA Tournament for the first time since the 2021-22 season, the second time in W&J's history both have made the tournament in the same season. The men's team won its first NCAA Tournament game since the 1994 season, when the Presidents beat Otterbein, Kenyon and Illinois Wesleyan to reach the Elite 8.