Mika named to CoSIDA Academic All America Second Team

AUSTIN, Texas – BYU sophomore Eric Mika was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Second Team Thursday.

Mika, named to the All-West Coast Conference First Team earlier this week, has led BYU to a 21-10 record while averaging 20.2 points, 9.4 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game. A finalist for the Kareem Abdul-Jabbar Award, Mika is among the top 10 in the nation in free-throw attempts (1st), free throws made (2nd) and double-doubles (9th).

A pre-management major with a 3.68 GPA, Mika has been named the WCC Player of the Week three times this season. He was named the NCAA.com Player of the Week on Monday after leading the Cougars to a 79-71 win at then-No. 1 Gonzaga with 29 points, 11 rebounds and two blocks.

During the Gonzaga game, Mika became the 49th Cougar to reach 1,000 career points. He did so in 64 career games, tied for sixth fastest to 1,000 career points in program history.

As a freshman, Mika received Silver Honors on the WCC Commissioner's Honor Roll. This season, he was named to the WCC All-Academic Team.

A 6-foot-10 forward from Alpine, Utah, Mika is the eighth BYU men’s basketball player to earn CoSIDA Academic All-America honors and the first since Randy Reid was named to the Second Team in 1996. 

More on the CoSIDA Academic All-America® Men’s Basketball Division I Team

Seven of the 15 members of the 2016-17 CoSIDA Academic All-America® Division I men’s basketball teams have at least a 3.80 G.P.A., while three student-athletes carry a perfect 4.0 G.P.A. The five members of the first team have an average G.P.A. of 3.83.

Four of the five student-athletes on the CoSIDA Academic All-America® first team are repeat selections. Joining Barry as 2015-16 first team repeat selection and a 4.0 G.P.A. in graduate school is Grand Canyon University graduate student Joshua Braun. North Dakota State University junior A.J. Jacobson was a third team honoree last season while Gonzaga University junior Nigel Williams-Goss was a third team pick during the 2014-15 season. The final choice of the first team is Valparaiso University graduate student Alec Peters.

Evan Bradds, a senior from Belmont University, earns CoSIDA Academic All-America® second team honors after begin selected to the third team a season ago. Other second team members include Vanderbilt University senior Luke Kornet, Southern Methodist University junior Semi Ojeleye and a pair of sophomores in Brigham Young University’s Eric Mika and Purdue University’s Caleb Swanigan.

Elon University sophomore Tyler Seibring’s 4.0 G.P.A. leads the way for the CoSIDA Academic All-America® third team. He is joined by Princeton University senior Steven Cook, senior Matt O'Leary from Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, Brown University senior Steven Spieth and Central Arkansas University junior Jordan Howard.

Visit CoSIDA.com for more information.