SXU Student-Athlete Receives Academic Honors
The Saint Xavier University (SXU) women's basketball team had nine student-athletes named to the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC) All-Academic Team. The team had the most of any school in the conference, led by sophomore guard Gianna Amadio, who was also named an NAIA Scholar-Athlete earlier this year.
To be eligible, a student-athlete must maintain a 3.25 grade point average (GPA) and be enrolled at their current institution for at least one calendar year. Amadio is tied for the team's best GPA at 3.94. The nursing major spends her time away from the court focused and plans to continue working hard throughout the rest of her collegiate career.
"It's a huge accomplishment to get recognition for what I do off the court. To maintain a high GPA during basketball season, it is very important to me to balance my time. When I have a test coming up or homework assignments, I try to plan and stay organized by using any free time I have," Amadio said.
Finding the right balance between basketball and academics was of utmost importance to Amadio during the recruiting process. Saint Xavier University Athletics promotes a healthy environment, allowing student-athletes to get the academic support they need while on the road and away from campus.
"As part of the SXU women's basketball team, we are given a lot of support to succeed academically. Our coaches make sure we know school comes first, and they are always there to help us when we need it," Amadio said.
Amadio credits the academics-first mentality set up by SXU's Athletics program for helping her to perform on the court. During her freshman season in 2025, she played in 19 of the team's 30 games and shot 47.1 percent from the field, scoring 40 points.
"It is important to excel in both the classroom and on the court because I want to set myself up for future success. Staying disciplined in the classroom transfers over to the court as well," Amadio said.
With impressive academic achievements on her resume, Amadio has set her future goal of becoming an emergency room nurse.
I decided to major in nursing because I love the positive impact nurses have on people's lives and how passionate they are about their work. After graduating, I hope to become an ER nurse at a hospital and eventually a travel nurse," Amadio said.
The Saint Xavier women's basketball season ended on February 24 at the quarterfinals of the CCAC Tournament.