Three members of the University of Rochester women's basketball program: senior Bridget Miller, junior Tia Poulakidas and sophomore Deniz Alparslan earned College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Honors, as announced by the CSC on Tuesday.
 
The 2025-26 CSC Academic All-District® Women's Basketball Teams recognize the nation's top student-athletes. To be nominated, a student-athlete must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically, have at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average, and must have competed in at least 90 percent of an institution's contests, or must have started at least 66 percent of an institution's contests.
 
Miller appeared in and started 23 games for the Yellowjackets this season, taking over a starting role in URochester's frontcourt. The Pittsford, NY native averaged 7.0 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.2 assists and 1.1 steals per contest, shooting 38.3 percent from the floor and 58.7 percent from beyond the arc. The senior scored in double figures seven times, including 13 points at Nazareth on Nov. 22 en route to Mark's Pizzeria Crosstown Shootout All-Tournament honors, and a career-high 15 points in the 'Jackets' season-finale at Emory on Feb. 28.
 
A psychology major with a minor in American Sign Language, Miller is a three-time University Athletic Association (UAA) All-Academic recipient and a five-time member of the Dean's List. On campus, Miller's done extensive research with Karl Rosengren in the Cognitive Development Lab, and Diane Morse in both the Motivation and Addiction Lab, and the Office of Health Equity Resources. The senior has also received multiple scholarships, including the Matilda Harper Scholarship, and volunteers as a Partners in Reading Classroom Assistant and a Crisis Text Line Volunteer.
 
Poulakidas again played a key role in Rochester's front court this season, averaging 6.6 points, 4.6 rebounds and 1.1 assists per game on 37.1 percent shooting. In 23 games played and 19 starts, the junior scored 152 points and grabbed 105 rebounds, scoring in double figures five times, including four times in conference play. Poulakidas scored 11 points in wins at Ithaca and Brandeis, and had a season-high 14 to wrap up the regular season at Emory on Feb. 28.
 
Off the court, Poulakidas is majoring in ecology and evolutionary biology. The junior is a two-time UAA All-Academic selection, a Dean's List honoree, and earned Provost Circle Scholar honors this year. Poulakidas is also very active both in the Rochester community and the Naperville community back home, serving as a DuPage Valley Forest Preserve Restoration Workday Volunteer and a Phillip's Park Zoo Volunteer Keeper, in addition to volunteering at her local church. While in Rochester, Poulakidas is a regular volunteer with various community organizations through URochester's Pan Orthodox Christian Students, as well as through community basketball camps with the Yellowjackets.
 
Alparslan saw a significant jump in playing time as a sophomore, appearing in all 25 contests and making five starts. In 19.2 minutes per game, the Ankara, Turkey native averaged 5.9 points, 4.2 rebounds, 1.4 assists and 1.6 steals per game, shooting 46.2 percent from the field. Alparslan notched a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds, and added five assists and three steals, in Rochester's 75-70 win over CWRU on Jan. 25, one of five times the sophomore scored in double figures.
 
Named to the UAA All-Academic squad for the first time this season, Alparslan is majoring in computer science, with an intended minor in Spanish. Away from the court, Alparslan has TAed from CSC 173: Computation and Formal Systems, and has received several academic honors, including the Phi Beta Kappa O'Brien Award and the MLC Book Award for Spanish Studies. This summer, Alparslan will work for a startup in Turkey, Unary, as a software engineering intern, while the sophomore has also volunteered both at home and in Rochester, working at several basketball clinics in the area, as well as organizing and leading a study abroad mentorship and guidance session at Bilkent High School in Turkey.
 
Academic All-District selections will be evaluated by a sub-committee and advanced to the national, All-America ballot, to be voted on by CSC members within their respective divisions.
 
The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes men's and women's basketball honorees in four divisions: NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, and NAIA.