SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – St. Thomas graduate student Parker Bjorklund and Denver junior Touko Tainamo were repeat honorees and joined by a quartet of first-time honorees on the Summit League Academic All-League Men’s Basketball Team, League officials announced Tuesday.
Bjorklund, Tainamo and South Dakota State sophomore William Kyle III made up a trio of student-athletes that earned both all-league and all-academic honors during the 2023-24 season. Bjorklund was named to the second team, Tainamo garnered honorable mention honors, while Kyle III was named to the all-league first team and the Defensive Player of the Year for the regular season and tournament champion Jackrabbits.
Bjorklund owns a 3.58 GPA as he works towards a master’s degree in digital experience. He paced the Tommies in scoring with a13.2 ppg clip. Tainamo carries a 3.90 GPA as he continues work towards a double major in mathematics and philosophy. He averaged career-bests in points (15.2) and rebounds (7.7) while recording eight double-doubles.
Kyle III holds a 3.66 GPA towards a degree in business economics. He moved into a starting role this season for SDSU and flourished, averaging 14.0 ppg, 7.1 rpg and swatting away 36 shots in League play.
The South Dakota duo of Paul Bruns and Max Burchill and Denver’s Pedro Lopez-Sanvicente rounded out the squad. Bruns owns a 3.68 GPA in finance and averaged 10.2 ppg and 4.5 rpg in 28 starts for the Coyotes in 2023-24. Burchill carries a 3.71 GPA in marketing and finance and averaged a career-best 6.4 ppg after starting all 32 contests for head coach Eric Peterson last season.
Lopez-Sanvicente is a psychology major at DU with a 3.74 GPA. He started 23 of 34 games and averaged 6.4 ppg and 3.7 rpg for the Pioneers, who finished runner-up at the Summit League Tournament.
To be eligible for the Academic All-League team, a student-athlete must have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.30 (on a 4.0 scale), completed at least one full academic year at the current institution and participated in 50 percent of his team's competitions.
2023-24 Summit League Men's Basketball Academic All-League Team
| Name |
School |
Yr. |
Pos. |
GPA |
Major |
| Parker Bjorklund** |
St. Thomas |
Gr. |
F |
3.75 |
Digital Experience |
| Paul Bruns |
South Dakota |
Jr. |
G |
3.68 |
Finance |
| Max Burchill |
South Dakota |
Jr. |
G |
3.71 |
Marketing & Finance |
| William Kyle III |
South Dakota State |
So. |
F |
3.66 |
Business Economics |
| Pedro Lopez-Sanvicente |
Denver |
Jr. |
F |
3.74 |
Psychology |
| Touko Tainamo** |
Denver |
Jr. |
F |
3.90 |
Mathematics and Philosophy |
*Career Academic All-League honors
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