AUSTIN, Texas – Senior forward Gabriel Leifer has been selected as the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America Team Member of the Year for Division III men's basketball. CoSIDA made the official announcement on Wednesday afternoon. Leifer also earns a spot on the CoSIDA Academic All-America first team.

Leifer is the first student-athlete in school history to earn CoSIDA Academic All-America Team Member of the Year accolades, an honor that is bestowed to those who excel in both athletics and academics.

This marks the second year in a row that Leifer has earned a spot on the CoSIDA Academic All-America team.

"Gabe is one of the best players in Division III," Yeshiva University Head Coach Elliot Steinmetz said. "His leadership on and off the court is a major reason our program has experienced the success it has. The fact that he does it in the classroom as well is a testament to his focus, ability to multitask and prioritize, and his willingness to be a complete example of leadership for his teammates."

To see the full CoSIDA release, which includes Leifer's video interview with Ira Thor from the CoSIDA Academic All-America Committee, head over to academicallamerica.com. The PDF version can be seen here.

Leifer has impacted the men's basketball program in a big way. He led the Maccabees to two Skyline Championships, as well as three appearances in the conference championship game, and a pair of berths in the NCAA Tournament. Yeshiva is currently on a 36-game winning streak, which is tied for the second longest unbeaten stretch in Division III men's basketball history, and the team is ranked No. 3 in the country according to D3hoops.com. During the Maccabees' long winning streak, they have captured the 2019-20 Skyline Championship and won two games in the NCAA Tournament to earn a berth in the Sweet 16 before the rest of the tournament got canceled because of the pandemic.

Two years ago, Leifer was selected as both the Skyline Conference Player and Scholar-Athlete of the Year.

This year, the two-time All-Skyline first team member finished the year ranked No. 5 in the nation in assists per game (6.9). He produced five double-doubles this year, including a triple-double, to lead YU to an undefeated 7-0 record. The Lawrence native also showed toughness on defense by blocking four shots in a game twice this year and forcing at least three steals in two contests. Thanks to his strong efforts, Leifer was selected as a 2021 Jay Fiedler Outstanding Jewish College Athlete of the Year Award winner. He was also named a D3hoops.com All-American for the second time in his illustrious career. Earlier this year, Leifer earned a spot on the D3hoops.com Team of the Week, becoming just the fourth men's basketball player all-time to earn that honor in four separate seasons.

The four-year men's basketball standout is currently sporting a cumulative GPA of 3.73. Majoring in accounting and management, Leifer has been named to the Skyline Conference Academic Honor Roll twice. Leifer was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Skyline Conference Championship game after he led the Maccabees to the league title in 2019-20. The three-time All-Met first team honoree has scored 1,322 points in his career and is the team's record holder with 456 careers assists.

The NABC All-American has 973 career rebounds and has produced five triple-doubles during his time at YU. Last year, he was on the Bevo Francis Top 50 Players to Watch List and was also selected as the United States Basketball Writers Association National Player of the Week.

Leifer is now a two-time CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree. In May of 2021, he was named the Male Graduating Student-Athlete of the Year and was the recipient of the Bernard "Red" Sarachek Award at the Yeshiva University Athletic Department's Annual Awards Ceremony.

The graduating senior plans to pursue his master's degree in 2021-22.