Williamsburg, KY – The University of the Cumberlands has continued to see student-athletes excel both on the field and in the classroom and there no better example as the CoSIDA At-Large All-District Team as the Patriots have etched three nominees on the list.  These three student athletes have all earned multiple NAIA All-American accolades, while be leaders on their teams as well as hitting the books as CoSIDA officials announced the team Thursday.  

Not only does this mark the second straight year that UC has notched at least three honorees, this trio was selected to the team in 2021.  Tennis player Martin Barbier and men's lacrosse attacker Dylan Crouch garner this accolade for the third time in their career, while Enzo Esteves makes it back-to-back selections.

Barbier tallied CoSIDA All-District honors after another incredible season on the court.  The senior notched a 20-4 singles record and a 23-5 doubles record at the #1 position this season.  Barbier earned MSC first team all-conference honors for the fourth time in his career and is a two-time Mid-South Conference Player of the Year.  He is the program's first ITA Doubles All-American, and is a three time NAIA All-American.  Barbier is the winningest player in program history and made history as the first Patriot to win both 50 singles and 50 doubles matches over their career. The senior opened the 2021 season by capturing the ITA singles and double regional title and advancing to the ITA Cup.
 
Crouch earned this distinction for the third time in his career after tallying his second NAIA All-American accolade.  The Business Administration major set a program record with 35 assists this season, which was fourth most in the NAIA, while his 39 goals and 74 points both rank second in program history.  Crouch tied the program record dishing out six assists in the 17-5 win over then fifth-ranked Columbia.  He notched at least five points in a game six times, including tallying a season-high eight points in three games all of which came against ranked opponents.  Crouch is the program leader in goals, assists, and points as the Trenton, OH native is the first Patriot to tallying at least 200 points in their career.  His performance this year earned Crouch NAIA First Team All-American honors.  Crouch is a three-time AAC All-Conference selection and has helped the Patriots reach the NAIA Invitational four times.
 
After becoming the first men's swimmer to be garner CoSIDA All-District honors in 2021, Esteves captured four NAIA All-American honors this year to work his way back onto the list for a second consecutive season.  The senior recorded five MSC All-Conference honors this season en route to helping UC win the MSC championships and place third at nationals, their highest finish in program history. The Business Admiration major is a two-time school record holder as he touched the wall in 20.11 to set the 50 free school record, while he was also part of the Patriots 200 free relay that clocked a 1:22.32.  The Salvador, Brazil native has been a staple on UC relays throughout his time at UC and is a three-time MSC Academic All-Conference selection.
 
Earning CoSIDA Academic All-District honors makes these student-athletes eligible to earn Academic All-American First-team honors as all Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced in early August.
 
The 2021-22 Academic All-District At-Large Teams, selected by CoSIDA, recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. The CoSIDA Academic All-America program separately recognizes at-large honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.
 
The At-Large category consist of student-athletes across a variety of sports including women's beach volleyball, men's & women's bowling, cheerleading, dance, men's & women's golf, men's & women's lacrosse, men's and women's swimming, men's and women's tennis, men's volleyball, men's wrestling. Each school can nominate up to four men and four women in this category.
 
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