Valparaiso graduated senior 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 2011-2012 school year.  In addition, five other Crusaders were named All-Academic honorees by the NTCA.

Cortese, a graphic design major, led the Crusaders in 2011-2012 with a 198.4 average as Valpo earned one of eight berths at the NCAA Championship for the first time in program history.  An NTCA Honorable Mention All-American, she was named to the All-Tournament Team at the NCAA Championship after posting a 218.4 average, including a season-high game of 259.  This marks the second consecutive year that Cortese has been named to the All-Academic Third Team by the NTCA.

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 2011-2012 school year.  Redshirt freshman Alyssa Alvarez (Antioch, Ill./Antioch), redshirt junior Ashley Busiel (Elk Grove Village, Ill./James B. Conant [Harper College]), senior Amanda Cortese (Hoffman Estates, Ill./Hoffman Estates [Central Missouri]), senior Jessica Guertin (Milford, Mich./Milford [Fairleigh Dickinson]) and sophomore Katie Shumaker (Trafford, Pa./Penn-Trafford [Maryland Eastern Shore]) were all recognized by the NTCA.