Valparaiso junior Natalie Cortese (Hoffman Estates, Ill./Hoffman Estates [Central Missouri]) has been named to the National Tenpin Coaches Association (NTCA) All-Academic Third Team for her work on the lanes and in the classroom during the 2010-2011 school year.  In addition, five other Crusaders were named All-Academic honorees by the NTCA.

Cortese, a graphic design major, earns the All-Academic Third Team honor after being recognized as an NTCA Honorable Mention All-American earlier this year.  The junior led the Crusaders on the lanes this season with a school-record 200.1 average over 37 traditional games, helping the Crusaders to increase both their traditional and baker game averages over a season ago.  Over the course of the season, Cortese was named Tournament MVP at Valpo’s own Crusader Classic, while also earning All-Tournament accolades at the Greater Ozark Invitational and the Kutztown Invitational.

In addition to Cortese, five other Crusaders also earned All-Academic recognition for maintaining at least a 3.40 grade point average over the course of the 2010-2011 school year.  Freshman Alyssa Alvarez (Antioch, Ill./Antioch), junior Amanda Cortese (Hoffman Estates, Ill./Hoffman Estates [Central Missouri]), junior Jessica Guertin (Milford, Mich./Milford [Fairleigh Dickinson]), freshman Nicole Sanhamel (Vernon Hills, Ill./Vernon Hills) and sophomore Katie Shumaker (Trafford, Pa./Penn-Trafford [Maryland Eastern Shore]) were all recognized by the NTCA.