Courtesy: Liberty Athletics
LYNCHBURG, Va. – Six of Liberty’s standouts inside the classroom have been named to the 2025-26 Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) Academic All-State Team. The honorees include a pair from the track & field/cross country program (Katrina Schlenker and Ben Shughart) along with Halle Engle (women’s soccer), Shannon Icard (women’s swimming & diving), Colin Porter (men’s basketball) and Chase Robinson (men’s tennis).
Every Commonwealth college and university, including NCAA Division I, II and III, NAIA and independents, had the opportunity to submit student-athletes to be honored. To be eligible, student-athletes were required to have a cumulative grade point average (GPA) of 3.25 or better and must have achieved sophomore status.
A redshirt junior forward from Mechanicsburg, Pa., Engle graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in exercise science and a 3.99 GPA. She returns to the VaSID Academic All-State team for the second year in a row, and also repeated her CSC Academic All-District® Team and CUSA All-Academic Team honors from 2024. On the pitch, Engle paced the CUSA champion Lady Flames in assists (9) while ranking second on the team in goals (6) and points (21). As a result, she was a second team All-CUSA honoree.
A junior diver from Quitman, Ga., Icard is a sport management major with a 4.0 GPA. She garnered both CSCAA Scholar All-America first team honors and CSC Academic All-District® recognition following a historic season. Icard placed fifth overall on platform at the NCAA Zone A Diving Championships with a 10-dive program record score of 444.90. That performance made her the first Liberty diver in program history to compete at the NCAA Division I Women’s Swimming & Diving Championships.
A senior guard from Ashland, Ky., Porter posted a 3.66 GPA during his undergraduate studies in business administration and maintained a 3.89 GPA as he worked toward a master’s degree in management & leadership. He collected both CSC Academic All-District® and CUSA All-Academic Team honors for the third consecutive season. An All-CUSA honorable mention performer, Porter averaged a career-high 11.1 ppg, 3.4 apg an a team-leading 1.4 spg to help the Flames successfully defend their CUSA regular-season title.
A redshirt junior from Spartanburg, S.C., Robinson completed a bachelor’s degree in business administration with a 3.89 GPA and also owns a 3.89 GPA as he pursues an MBA. A VaSID Academic All-State Team member for the second year in a row, Robinson also earned his second consecutive CSC Academic All-District® Team nod in 2026. Robinson paced the Flames in wins (14) and winning percentage (.679) for the year and currently ranks No. 3 in program history for career singles winning percentage (.667).
A senior distance runner from Batavia, Ill., Schlenker graduated in May with a bachelor’s degree in commercial aeronautics and a 3.92 GPA. She earned numerous academic honors as a senior, including USTFCCCA All-Academic Team, CUSA All-Academic Team and CSC Academic All-District® Team. She punctuated her career by finishing 13th in the women’s steeplechase in a program-record 9:45.90 at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships, earning second team All-America honors.
A redshirt senior javelin thrower from Shippensburg, Pa., Shughart kept a 4.0 GPA during his undergraduate work in sport management and a 3.61 GPA as he earned an MBA. A two-time VaSID Academic All-State honoree (also 2024), Shughart also collected his second CSC Academic All-America® notation (second team) in 2026. He was additionally a CSC Academic All-District® honoree and a USTFCCCA All-Academic Team member for the third time each. In competition, Shughart was a second team All-American in 2026, thanks to a ninth-place men’s javelin finish at the NCAA Division I Outdoor Track & Field Championships. He also set a program record (253-11) in the event and captured his second CUSA men’s javelin title.
