BERKELEY – As the regular season closes, California twosome Aravind Sivakumar and Halil Beqaj picked up CoSIDA Academic All-District honors to highlight strong academic and athletic performances, the organization announced, Thursday.
 
As first team honorees, the pair will automatically advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Team ballot to be voted on, on Nov. 14 or 15.
 
This year's award marks the second for Sivakumar, a senior. The Cupertino, Calif., native holds a 3.90 grade point average in computer science and recently interned at Twitter over the summer. As starter for the Golden Bears, he has recorded two assists on the season.
 
A molecular and cell biology major, Beqaj boasts a 3.85 GPA and also spent his summer interning. The junior participated in a medical research fellowship at University of San Francisco, where he studied FAI, a hip condition that plagues many athletes. The Irvine, Calif., native has seen action in
11 contests this season.
 
"We are proud of both Halil and Aravind, but are not surprised," said head coach Kevin Grimes. "They approach their studies with the same level of focus and seriousness that they bring to the field and it shows."
 
Cal is a member of District 8, and the Golden Bears' two representatives tie with UC-Davis and Utah Valley for the most honorees on the 11-man list.
 
To be eligible, nominees must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.30 (on a 4.0 scale) and participated in at least 50 percent of the team's games.
 
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