Andrew Littlehales, Claire Lewis, Sylvi Imrem & Joseph Manning Named October Scholar-Athletes by Center for Enhanced Performance

WEST POINT, NY - The Army West Point Athletics Association's Academic Support team has selected its scholar-athletes for the month of October, recognizing cross-country sophomores Claire Lewis & Andrew Littlehales along with women's rugby senior Sylvi Imrem and men's rugby junior Joseph Manning.

Women's Cross Country
Claire Lewis '26

Chemical engineering major with an overall academic GPA of 4.220.
Cumulative quality point average is 4.194, reflecting excellence in all the pillars.
Had her first collegiate win in Maine, was in command of the race from the start, and won the Patriot League's Women's Runner of the Week.
Put in a strong performance at the recent meet against Navy, coming in eighth and running the fastest last half mile of anyone in the race – a decisive move that played a key role in the team's first victory over Navy since 2020.
In her Plebe year, came 3^rd in the 3000 meter steeplechase at the Patriot League Outdoor Track & Field Championships in May 2023.

"Claire is a high character young woman that has just started to realize her athletic potential. She was already a high functioning cadet and now can add athletic success to her resume. During the recruiting process it became evident that we were getting a solid person in Claire Lewis, but we were caught off guard by her athletic potential. She had never really been exposed to the type of training that we have been able to give her, and she has blossomed in our program. She showed signs of potential last year with a rather inconsistent training background. This year she has experienced much more consistent and productive training and the results are evident. She is committed to the hard work in everything that she does and that has made a significant difference in her outcomes. There is still plenty of room for growth with her and I expect that she will be a force on our team and in the Patriot League for years to come. I count myself as lucky that she came to our program and the Academy is just now realizing what a star she is. I am certain that I will be writing much more about her in the years to come." - Director of Track & Field Mike Smith

Men's Cross Country
Andrew Littlehales '26

Chemical engineering major with an overall academic GPA of 3.920.
Cumulative quality point average is 3.835, earning Dean's List in both Fall and Spring AY 2023
Named to the Patriot Leage Fall, Winter, and Spring Academic Honor Roll during the 2022-2023 Academic Year
Finished 4^th on the team and 6^th overall at the 2023 Maine Black Bear Cross Country Invitational, his best finish to date.
Has a consistently positive attitude and is a great team player.

"Andrew is a good example of the principle of hard work and overcoming adversity. He faced some challenges in his first year in adapting to academy life and the increase in training workload in our program. As a plebe, he battled some injuries that set him back, but he was patient in his return from those injuries and was able to put together a long block of solid and consistent work that is now paying off for him. He has taken a big leap forward this fall and has been thriving as a stalwart member of our varsity team. He is young so I think there is still a lot of room for growth as he moves forward in the program." - Director of Track & Field Mike Smith

Women's Rugby
Sylvi Imrem '23

Sylvi Imrem's season is a story of determination, grit, and heart. She is a relentlessly hard worker in and out of the classroom. She has demonstrated exactly the kind of tenacity and desire for constant improvement that we seek in our cadets.

Coming onto the squad having never played rugby before, Sylvi has worked to master her craft on the pitch. She took the initiative of asking for any opportunities to get more time and made the most out of every minute, gradually working her way into the starting lineup. This season, she has played in six out of our seven varsity matches thus far and is slated to start against Navy in our last match of the season. She started with 20 minutes in the Dartmouth match and excelled. She then moved to getting 30 minutes against Long Island University, where she set the tone for explosive physicality off the bench. From then on, she's been a starting flanker in every match.

Throughout her four seasons with the team, Sylvi has grown from an instant impact player when coming off the bench, causing multiple turnovers with her physicality, to a valued starter with a vision for the field setting up several tries. One being an assist against Mount St. Mary's College that sealed the game, with a defense-splitting pass that resulted in a 40-meter run to score a try. Sylvi's in-game intelligence and decision-making allowed the back line to retain the ball effectively and squash opposition counterattacks quickly.

Sylvi is not only a force on the pitch – she also boasts a 3.61 academic GPA as a Persian language major. She has earned an A or A+ in several Persian courses while also excelling in technical courses such as CY105 Computing Fundamentals, where she also earned an A+ grade. Sylvi has also accumulated a 3.17 military performance score average, reflecting her discipline and high professional standards. Sylvi Imrem exemplifies success on the field and off it – she epitomizes so much of what we want from our cadet athletes. She is highly deserving of this recognition.

Men's Rugby
Joe Manning '25

Cadet Joseph "Joe" Manning is a Fly Half on the Army Men's Rugby Team from West Chester, Pennsylvania, and the quintessential example of a Scholar-Athlete-Warrior.

Cadet Manning is a scholar of the highest caliber, maintaining a 3.959 GPA while pursuing a Military History with Thesis (Honors) major and a minor in Terrorism Studies. Within his academic department, Joe has earned a reputation as an outstanding servant-leader, volunteering to support the department in mentoring more junior students and providing candid feedback to instructors. "He is a fantastic example of a scholar, from our view," observes his Academic Advisor. In addition to his leadership of others, Cadet Manning continually leads by example in the classroom: he has been on the Dean's List every term in his Cadet career and was most recently recognized as a Distinguished Cadet his sophomore year.

In the Corps, Joe currently excels in his current position as a Squad Leader in A4. He served in the same role during recent summer training for Cadet Basic Training. There, Cadet Manning was nominated as Squad Leader of the detail, one of the top candidates of 150 Cadets. In the process, he was recognized as the Cadet Basic Training Hero of the Week and several times was featured in social media photos and stories.

On the rugby pitch, Joe leads from the front Head Coach Matt Sherman says, "Joe serves as a squad captain and is one of the most valuable leaders on the field, in the locker room, and on the team – he is always looking for work to help the team. Joe is always accountable for team and individual roles, extremely knowledgeable regarding the laws of the game, and he regularly captains either the JV team or the OPFOR Scout Team, while also appearing in a reserve role with the top team. Joe serves as an example, leader and mentor to the team's younger and growing players, and his ability to drive high standards and accountability amongst the group and all individuals on the team is unparalleled."

Cadet Manning has earned the Superintendent's Award for Excellence as a freshman and the Superintendent's Award for Achievement as a sophomore – further demonstrating his consistency and high level of achievement across all pillars of development.

Army West Point Athletics

Andrew Littlehales, Claire Lewis, Sylvi Imrem & Joseph Manning Named October Scholar-Athletes by Center for Enhanced Performance

Players Mentioned

Sylvi Imrem

Claire Lewis

Andrew Littlehales

Joseph Manning

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