IRVING, Texas – UTSA baseball standout James Taussig and South Florida soccer star Georgia Brown have been chosen as the 2024-25 American Conference Scholar-Athletes of the Year, as chosen by the conference’s Academic Committee.
 
Taussig, who was chosen as the American’s Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year, and Brown, the American’s Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, will each receive a $4,000 postgraduate financial scholarship.
 
Taussig and Brown were chosen from a group of 22 individual sport Scholar-Athletes of the Year who received $2,000 postgraduate scholarships. The 23 Scholar-Athletes of the Year include 16 individuals who won individual conference titles or earned all-conference accolades during the 2024-25 season.
 
Taussig, a native of Houston, becomes the first UTSA student-athlete and the fifth baseball player to be named as the American Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Taussig led the Roadrunners to their most successful season in program history in 2025 as he hit .344 with 10 home runs and 65 runs batted in to help UTSA to a win in the NCAA Austin Regional and its first appearance in the Super Regionals. He was named as Most Outstanding Player of the Austin Regional and was a first-team all-conference selection in the American.
 
Taussig graduated with a 3.94 grade-point average as a double major in finance and real estate finance and development. He was a four-time Dean’s List selection, a three-time President’s List honoree and was named the Will and Mary Hathaway Male Academic Athlete of the Year in 2025.
 
Brown, who hails from Highworth, England, becomes the third South Florida student-athlete to be chosen as the American Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year, joining 2021 winner Georgina Corrick (softball) and 2023 winner Dulcy Fankam- Mendjiadeu (basketball). She is the first women’s soccer player to earn the American’s top academic honor. 
 
Brown is a two-time College Sports Communicators. Academic All-America selection, including a first-team choice in 2024, when she earned first-team all-conference honors. A standout defender, Brown also contributed four goals and two assists in 2024 on her way to a second consecutive all-conference selection
 
Brown earned a 4.00 grade-point average as an undergraduate, completing a bachelor’s degree in biomedical sciences.
 
Selections for the 22 Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards, as well as the Male and Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors, are made by the Academic Committee on the basis of academic credentials and athletic performance. Each conference school may nominate one student-athlete per sport who has achieved senior academic standing as determined by the institution. A winner is chosen from each of the conference’s 20 sponsored sports in addition to at-large selections from sports not sponsored by the conference. 
 


Scholar-Athletes of the Year
The American Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards are among of a number of scholarships presented by the conference during the academic year.
 
The conference has presented individual sport Scholar-Athletes of the Year in baseball, men’s basketball and women’s basketball since the 2013-14 season. The conference has presented individual awards in all other sports beginning with the 2017-18 season.
 
2025 American Male Scholar-Athlete of the Year
James Taussig, UTSA (Baseball)
 
2025 American Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year
Georgia Brown, South Florida (Soccer)
 
2025 American Scholar-Athletes of the Year

Sport	Student-Athlete	School	Highlights
Baseball	James Taussig	UTSA	First-team all-conference; NCAA Austin Regional Most Outstanding Player
Men’s Basketball	Xavier Bell	Wichita State	First-team all-conference; averaged 15.2 ppg in 2024-25
Women’s Basketball	Synia Johnson	East Carolina	112 career games; Most Outstanding Player of 2023 American Championship
Men’s Cross Country	Ryan Adkins	Tulane	Member of 2024 American Championship team; placed 29th
Women’s Cross Country	Amelie Attenborough	Rice	Registered top-25 finish at 2024 American Championship
Football	Bryson Daily	Army	American Offensive Player of the Year; Sixth in Heisman Trophy voting
Men’s Golf	Jake Peacock	South Florida	Two-time American Player of the Year and conference champion
Women’s Golf	Lovisa Gunnar	Tulsa	Two-time all-conference; member of 2025 American championship team
Women’s Lacrosse	Gianna Cutaia	Charlotte	First-team all-conference; led the American in ground balls per game
Men’s Soccer	Logan Longo	Memphis	All-conference second team selection for 2024 regular-season champion
Women’s Soccer	Georgia Brown	South Florida	First-team all-conference in 2024; 2023 Academic All-America selection
Softball	Lauren Lucas	Wichita State	Three-time first-team all-conference; 2023 All-America selection
Women’s Swimming and Diving	Andrea Zeebe	Tulane	American champion in 800 freestyle relay in 2025
Men’s Tennis	Danijal Muminovic	UTSA	Runner-up at American Individual Championships
Women’s Tennis	Darya Schwartzman	Rice	All-conference selection for nationally ranked Owls
Men’s Indoor Track and Field	Hudson Bailey	Wichita State	2025 American heptathlon champion
Women’s Indoor Track and Field	Destiny Masters	Wichita State	Most Valuable Performer at 2025 American Championship
Men’s Outdoor Track and Field	Joakim Genereux	Wichita State	Honorable mention All-America in 4x400 relay at 2025 NCAA Championships
Women’s Outdoor Track and Field	McKyla van der Westhuizen	Rice	Two-time American champion in javelin throw
Women’s Volleyball	Lara Kretschmer	Charlotte	Played 127 career matches; named to CSC Academic All-District Team
Men’s At-Large (Gymnastics)	Joseph Buselmeier	Army	USA Gymnastics All-America; All-ECAC selection on floor and rings
Women’s At-Large (Beach Volleyball)	Olivia Stant	UAB	First-team all-conference after going 26-7 on top court