California State University Northridge Athletics
Photo by: Connor Clark
Nine CSUN Student-Athletes Earn CSC Academic All-District Honors
6/22/2026 12:27:00 PM | Men's Volleyball, Women's Golf, Women's Water Polo, Beach Volleyball
NORTHRIDGE, Calif.---A total of nine CSUN student-athletes representing four spring teams were named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) 2026 Academic All-District Men's and Women's At-Large Teams on June 22.Â
Earning academic all-district honors were Grayson Albers, Joao Avila and Owen Douphner from men's volleyball, Haley Coggins and Hannah Heflin from beach volleyball, Nicole Tanoue and Kim Turgut from women's golf, and Erika Staine and Lucie Lapuz from women's water polo.Â
The CSC academic awards program recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. The academic qualifications for the distinction are a minimum 3.50 cumulative grade-point average. Nominated student-athletes must have participated in at least 50 percent of the team's games this season, and should be a starter or important reserve on the field of play. All Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees in four divisions - NCAA Division I, Division II, Division III and NAIA - will be announced in April.Â
Albers, a freshman middle blocker, appeared in 25 of 27 matches for the 18th-ranked CSUN Men's Volleyball team. In 2026, Albers earned Big West All-Freshman Team honors and was a two-time Big West Freshman of the Week (Feb. 2, Feb. 23) after finishing the season ranked 20th in the Big West in blocks per set (0.61), and his hitting percentage of .523 ranked among the top percentages in the country. He is currently majoring in Environmental Science.Â
Avila made 25 appearances in 27 matches for the Matador men's volleyball team. A sophomore outside hitter, Avila finished the season with 103 kills and led the Matadors with 133 digs. He also ranked fourth on the team with 11 aces. Avila ia majoring in Business Administration with an emphasis in Management.Â
In his first season as CSUN's starting setter, Douphner earned honorable mention All-Big West honors in 2026. Douphner was instrumental in the Matadors hitting over .300 as a team in 2026. A solid two-way player all season long, Douphner ranked second among Big West setters in assists per set at 9.49, 19th in blocks per set (0.64), and 19th in digs per set (1.22). He was named Big West Setter of the Week on Jan. 26 and was named to the UCSB Invitational All-Tournament Team to open the season. Douphner is majoring in Mechanical Engineering.Â
Coggins finished the 2026 beach volleyball season with 13 wins, which ranked third on the team. The junior paired with Daysha Halbert for all 13 wins, playing primarily on the No. 5 court where the pair posted a 12-17 record. The duo also played four times on the No. 4 court, finishing with a 1-3 record. Coggins has studied in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Exercise Science.Â
Heflin finished the 2026 season with 15 wins, which ranked second on the team. A sophomore, Heflin paired with Maleya Miles as CSUN's No. 1 pair, finishing with a 15-18 season record. She went on to earn All-Big West accolades for the second straight season. With CSUN, Heflin has majored in Deaf Studies.Â
Tanoue finished the 2026-27 season with a 74.06 scoring average, which ranked third on the team for the CSUN Women's Golf team. She competed in all 11 tournaments and 33 rounds for the Matadors, posting four top-10 finishes and a pair of top-20 showings. Tanoue, a junior, won the Soboba Spring Classic in February with an even-par 216, her first career individual win. With CSUN, Tanoue has majored in Economics.Â
Turgut, a senior, finished the 2026-27 season with a career-best 73.76 scoring average to earn All-Big West honors for the first time. She competed in all 11 tournaments and 33 rounds for the Matadors, tying for team-high honors with five top-10 finishes and a pair of top-20 showings. Turgut led CSUN with a third-place finish at the 2026 Big West Women's Golf Championship. She majored in Applied Fitness Lifestyle Conditioning at CSUN.Â
Staine, a junior goalkeeper, had a breakout season in the pool for the nationally-ranked CSUN water polo team. She would become the first Matador goalie to earn an ACWPC All-America Honorable Mention honor since 2010 while she also picked up All-Big West Honorable Mention accolades. Staine posted a 12-9 record to go with a .454 save percentage, 10.75 goals-against-average and 157 saves. Her 27 steals were also third-best on the team. Staine is majoring in Psychology at CSUN.Â
A sophomore, Lapuz completed her sophomore water polo season with CSUN in 2026. She would lead the Matadors with 31 assists to go with 14 goals for 45 points while appearing in all 26 matches. Lapuz also added 12 steals and 20 exclusions drawn in helping the Matadors finish the year with a 17-9 overall record. In the classroom, she is studying in Criminology and Justice Studies.Â
College Sports Communicators began the distinguished Academic All-America® program in 1952, and since then, has honored more than 38,000 deserving student-athletes from numerous sports across all divisions with these elite Academic All-America® scholar-athlete honors.
#GoMatadors
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Earning academic all-district honors were Grayson Albers, Joao Avila and Owen Douphner from men's volleyball, Haley Coggins and Hannah Heflin from beach volleyball, Nicole Tanoue and Kim Turgut from women's golf, and Erika Staine and Lucie Lapuz from women's water polo.Â
The CSC academic awards program recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. The academic qualifications for the distinction are a minimum 3.50 cumulative grade-point average. Nominated student-athletes must have participated in at least 50 percent of the team's games this season, and should be a starter or important reserve on the field of play. All Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees in four divisions - NCAA Division I, Division II, Division III and NAIA - will be announced in April.Â
Albers, a freshman middle blocker, appeared in 25 of 27 matches for the 18th-ranked CSUN Men's Volleyball team. In 2026, Albers earned Big West All-Freshman Team honors and was a two-time Big West Freshman of the Week (Feb. 2, Feb. 23) after finishing the season ranked 20th in the Big West in blocks per set (0.61), and his hitting percentage of .523 ranked among the top percentages in the country. He is currently majoring in Environmental Science.Â
Avila made 25 appearances in 27 matches for the Matador men's volleyball team. A sophomore outside hitter, Avila finished the season with 103 kills and led the Matadors with 133 digs. He also ranked fourth on the team with 11 aces. Avila ia majoring in Business Administration with an emphasis in Management.Â
In his first season as CSUN's starting setter, Douphner earned honorable mention All-Big West honors in 2026. Douphner was instrumental in the Matadors hitting over .300 as a team in 2026. A solid two-way player all season long, Douphner ranked second among Big West setters in assists per set at 9.49, 19th in blocks per set (0.64), and 19th in digs per set (1.22). He was named Big West Setter of the Week on Jan. 26 and was named to the UCSB Invitational All-Tournament Team to open the season. Douphner is majoring in Mechanical Engineering.Â
Coggins finished the 2026 beach volleyball season with 13 wins, which ranked third on the team. The junior paired with Daysha Halbert for all 13 wins, playing primarily on the No. 5 court where the pair posted a 12-17 record. The duo also played four times on the No. 4 court, finishing with a 1-3 record. Coggins has studied in Kinesiology with an emphasis in Exercise Science.Â
Heflin finished the 2026 season with 15 wins, which ranked second on the team. A sophomore, Heflin paired with Maleya Miles as CSUN's No. 1 pair, finishing with a 15-18 season record. She went on to earn All-Big West accolades for the second straight season. With CSUN, Heflin has majored in Deaf Studies.Â
Tanoue finished the 2026-27 season with a 74.06 scoring average, which ranked third on the team for the CSUN Women's Golf team. She competed in all 11 tournaments and 33 rounds for the Matadors, posting four top-10 finishes and a pair of top-20 showings. Tanoue, a junior, won the Soboba Spring Classic in February with an even-par 216, her first career individual win. With CSUN, Tanoue has majored in Economics.Â
Turgut, a senior, finished the 2026-27 season with a career-best 73.76 scoring average to earn All-Big West honors for the first time. She competed in all 11 tournaments and 33 rounds for the Matadors, tying for team-high honors with five top-10 finishes and a pair of top-20 showings. Turgut led CSUN with a third-place finish at the 2026 Big West Women's Golf Championship. She majored in Applied Fitness Lifestyle Conditioning at CSUN.Â
Staine, a junior goalkeeper, had a breakout season in the pool for the nationally-ranked CSUN water polo team. She would become the first Matador goalie to earn an ACWPC All-America Honorable Mention honor since 2010 while she also picked up All-Big West Honorable Mention accolades. Staine posted a 12-9 record to go with a .454 save percentage, 10.75 goals-against-average and 157 saves. Her 27 steals were also third-best on the team. Staine is majoring in Psychology at CSUN.Â
A sophomore, Lapuz completed her sophomore water polo season with CSUN in 2026. She would lead the Matadors with 31 assists to go with 14 goals for 45 points while appearing in all 26 matches. Lapuz also added 12 steals and 20 exclusions drawn in helping the Matadors finish the year with a 17-9 overall record. In the classroom, she is studying in Criminology and Justice Studies.Â
College Sports Communicators began the distinguished Academic All-America® program in 1952, and since then, has honored more than 38,000 deserving student-athletes from numerous sports across all divisions with these elite Academic All-America® scholar-athlete honors.
#GoMatadors
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Players Mentioned
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/ Men's Volleyball
OH
/ Men's Volleyball
/ Beach Volleyball
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/ Men's Volleyball
/ Beach Volleyball
/ Beach Volleyball
Utility
/ Women's Water Polo
/ Beach Volleyball
Goalkeeper
/ Women's Water Polo
/ Women's Golf
/ Women's Golf
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