WEST LIBERTY, W.Va. - West Liberty University men's basketball had four student-athletes represented on the 2022-23 Academic All-District® Men's Basketball Team, selected by College Sports Communicators. The four Hilltoppers included Ben Sarson, Bryce Butler, Zach Rasile, and Steve Cannady.

The 2022-23 Academic All-District® Men's Basketball Team, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom. 

Sarson has a 3.56 cumulative grade point average on the hilltop and was named to the MEC Commissioner's Honor Roll last year. On the court, the 6'6" forward is averaging 10.4 points per game across 24 starts.

Butler has started all 26 games and is averaging a team-most 28.9 minutes per game. He is leading the Mountain East Conference in points per game, at 22.8, and ranks seventh pulling in 7.1 rebounds per game, while earning five MEC Player of the Week awards this season. In the classroom, Butler has a 3.76 GPA and has been named to the MEC All-Academic Team each of the past two seasons and was an MEC Commissioner's Honor Roll selection his freshman year.

Rasile posts a 3.94 GPA and has earned MEC All-Academic Team honors each of his first two years on the hilltop. He leads the Hilltoppers and ranks fifth in the conference draining 2.35 three pointers per game while shooting 45.5%. Rasile has made one start and played in all 26 games so far this season.

Cannady is in his first year on the hilltop after graduating from Mercyhurst University with a Bachelor of Arts in criminal justice. Pursuing an MBA at West Liberty, Cannady has a 3.50 GPA. He has made an immediate impact on the court averaging 11.5 points and 3.1 assists per game, while shooting 50% from the field over 26 starts. Cannady leads the MEC and ranks 11th in DII with a 2.96 assist-to-turnover ratio.
 
Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced in mid March.

Follow Hilltopper basketball all season online at HilltopperSports.com and on Twitter (@WLU_Hoops | @WLathletics), Instagram (@wlu_mbb | @wlu_athletics), and Facebook.