GORHAM, Maine  –  Senior Thomas Whelan (Bronx, NY/Fordham Prep) and sophomore Evans Sterling (New Sharon, Maine/Mt. Blue) of the University of Southern Maine Huskies' men's basketball team have earned College Sports Communicators Academic All-District honors.  Whelan was advanced to the national ballot for consideration of Academic All-American honors.
 
Both Husky student-athletes are receiving Academic All-District recognition after distinguishing themselves athletically and academically as student-athletes at the University of Southern Maine. To be eligible for the accolade, student-athletes must be a starter or an important reserve with at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale), must have participated in at least 90 percent of the team's games, and must be at least a sophomore academically.  Graduate students must have a cumulative GPA of 3.5 or higher as both an undergrad and graduate student-athlete. 
 
Playing and starting in all 26 of the Huskies' games, Sterling was the program's second-leading scorer averaging 12.1 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.3 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Second on the team in assists (59), Sterling finished third on the team in rebounds (136), rebounds per game (5.2) and blocks (19). Sterling scored in double-digits in 18 games, scoring a career-high 19 points against Saint Joseph's College to help the Huskies claim the Costello Cup.  In two seasons, Sterling has played in 45 games.  He has 429 points, 211 rebounds, 71 assists, 53 steals and 26 blocked shots with a career shooting percentage of 60.79 (169-278). A William B. Wise Scholar Athlete, Sterling is earning his degree in Finance.
 
Recently named to the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) All-District second team, Whelan completed his career as a three-time All-Little East Conference guard, earning first team honors in 2025-2026.  The Huskies' top scorer, Whelan averaged 21.3 points per game shooting 45.9 percent (193-420) from the field, and 32.8 percent (45-137) from three-point range.  Whelan finished his four years in Gorham with 96 career games played, totaling 1696 points, 462 rebounds, 249 assists, 131 steals and 34 blocked shots with a career shooting percentage of 50.32 (621-1234), and 103 career three-pointers. He is fourth in career points and seventh in scoring average (17.67). Whelan became the 29th student-athlete in program history to surpass 1000 career points, achieving the milestone as a junior, scoring 25 points on February 1, 2025 against Eastern Connecticut State.  A three-time William B. Wise Scholar Athlete, and now a two-time Academic All-District honoree, Whelan will complete his degree in Exercise Science this May.
 
Designated Academic All-District student-athletes are eligible for selection to the Academic All-America program. 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.  Currently, CSC sponsors Academic All-America® programs for men's soccer, women's soccer, football, volleyball, men's basketball, women's basketball, men's swimming & diving, women's swimming & diving, men's tennis, women's tennis, baseball, softball and men's and women's track and field/cross country. Many other sports are eligible through the At-Large program, including USM sponsored sports field hockey, golf, ice hockey, and wrestling.
 
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