WINSTON-SALEM, N.C – On Wednesday, March 27th, Salem's Cristina Battistini and Ti'Erra Lee, were selected as members of the 2023-24 Academic All-District basketball team by the College Sports Communicators.

The organization recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the court and in the classroom. The CSC Academic All-America program separately recognizes honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.

Battistini and Lee were two of seven women's basketball players selected from the 10 institutions across the USA South. Furthermore, Salem was one of three basketball programs in the league, along with Brevard and Methodist, to have two players bestowed the honor.

Battistini is pursuing her bachelor of arts degree in interior design at Salem College. She was one of three basketball players, along with Lee and Dionne Sampson, to earn a spot on the 2023 Fall Dean's List at Salem. On the court, she played in 23 games and made 12 stars in 2023-24, finishing with 67 rebounds (41 defensive), 20 assists and five blocks. She also accounted for 66 points and scored a single-game season-high 10 points in clash with Greensboro on January 27th.

Lee is bachelor of science in math education at Salem College. She was one of three basketball players, along with Battistini and Dionne Sampson, to earn a spot on the 2023 Fall Dean's List at Salem. The Montgomery, Alabama, native was one of six Salem players to finish with 100 points on the season, closing with 144. She led all Salem rebounders with a team-best 118 rebounds (60 offensive).

Lee delivered five double-digit scoring performances on the season, including a single-game season-high 14 in a 95-83 triumph over William Peace. Her best rebounding performance of the season game in an eight-point victory over Mary Baldwin, where she grabbed 11 rebounds, including seven defensive.

The USA South Athletic Conference is represented by a total of 12 student-athletes from two men's teams (Brevard, William Peace) and four women's squads (Brevard, Methodist, N.C. Wesleyan, Salem).

Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced April 16 (women) and April 17 (men).