TUCSON, Ariz.- The Student Athletes of the Month of December have been announced as men's basketball's Rawle Alkins, volleyball's Jade Turner, swim and dive's Riccardo Maestri, and soccer's Samantha Falasco. These students have been honored for their commitment to earning their undergraduate degree, the ability to maximize their academic potential, and their dedication to academic improvement and growth.
 
These students have been chosen by the C.A.T.S Academic staff.
 
Alkins, a sophomore guard from Brooklyn, N.Y, returns to the court after a successful rookie season, with accolades such as being named to the Pac-12 All Freshman team and on the watch list for the Julius Erving Award. Alkins' had his career high scoring mark this season with 26 points against New Mexico.
 
Aside from his achievement on the court, Alkins has been hard at work in the classroom, with academic counselor Kiarra Ladd commenting: "Although Rawle encountered challenges during the semester that could have caused him to lose focus on academics, he did the exact opposite. Rawle dialed into his academics and committed to being the best student he could be." Alkins is working towards a General Studies degree.
 
Turner just completed her senior season with 103 points scored. The guard from Bakersfield, Calif. posted a career high of 79 kills, 45 blocks, and 60 sets played in the 2017 season. Turner had three matches with five-plus blocks, which was the most for a Wildcat in 2017.
 
Along with a successful season, Turner had a solid academic semester, as learning specialist, Kelly Amsler, and academic counselor, Brittney Crawford, said:  "It is goal of our department to develop student-athletes  into independent learners who take ownership of their education and Jade has done exactly that this fall. Even while in season, Jade was proactive in tackling her studies to be sure she met her goal of having her best fall semester yet." Turner will graduate with a degree in Literacy, Learning, and Leadership this spring.
 
Maestri, who specializes in the freestyle, is a senior from Cernusco sul Naviglio, Italy. He posted the second fastest times in the 200y freestyle, 200y medley, and 400y medley on the team in the 2016-2017 season. Prior to Arizona, Maestri was a member of the Italian Olympic Team at the 2012 London Olympics. Last season, he was named an CSCAA Scholar All-American and to the Pac-12 All Academic first team.
 
Sarah Howard, Maestri's academic counselor, praises his work ethic saying: " Ricky had a very successful semester fall semester while taking 17 units. He is in all upper division engineering and math courses. I would see him often in the academic building working in groups and studying hard. It seems like all of his hard work has paid off!" Maestri is working towards two degrees in Mechanical Engineering and Math.
 
 Falasco is a sophomore defender from Newport Beach, Calif. Falasco started in all 20 games and played a total of 1,891 minutes in the 2017 season. She had three goals this season to earn her six points as a defender. Falasco earned herself a spot as an 2017 Pac-12 All-Academic Honorable Mention.
 
LeAnne Shoemaker, Falasco's academic counselor comments on her academic performance this season, saying: "Samantha found her passion this semester as she declared the Retailing and Consumer Sciences major, having her first perfect semester as an Arizona Wildcat. She is a leader to those around her and has worked extremely hard."