Tarleton utility player Kemuel Thomas-Rivera was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America second team, the College Sports Information Directors of America announced Wednesday.
After landing on the CoSIDA Academic All-District team alongside teammate Taylor Daniell earlier in May, Thomas-Rivera moved on and was voted to the All-America second team.
Thomas-Rivera slotted in as one of 33 members across all of NCAA Division I baseball. He was one of 14 members to boast a perfect 4.0 GPA on the All-America team as he studied kinesiology at the graduate level at Tarleton.
To be nominated, a student-athlete must have been a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.30 cumulative GPA. They had to have participated in at least 50 percent of their teams’ games. From there, the players were voted on by CoSIDA members as they go from the All-District round and then cut down to All-America.
Thomas-Rivera becomes the first Tarleton athlete across all sports in the Division I era to garner the honor, and the first ever Texan baseball athlete at any level to earn the award.
He shined on the field this season for the Texans, picking up All-WAC Second Team honors. He led the Texans with a .357 batting average while ending the season with 60 hits, nine home runs and 37 RBI. In WAC play, the utility player ranked sixth in the conference with a .398 average and .473 on-base percentage.
Thomas-Rivera picked up honorable mention All-WAC honors as well as academic All-WAC at the conclusion of the 2021 season.
About the Academic All-America Program
CoSIDA began the distinguished Academic All-America program in 1952, and since then, has honored thousands of deserving student-athletes from numerous sports across all divisions with these elite Academic All-America scholar-athlete honors.
Currently, CoSIDA sponsors Academic All-America programs for men’s soccer, women’s soccer, football, volleyball, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball, softball and men’s and women’s track and field/cross country. Many other sports are eligible through the At-Large program.
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