Five Horizon League women's soccer players earn spots on NSCAA Scholar All-Central Region teams
Dec. 13, 2006
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INDIANAPOLIS - A successful 2006 Horizon League women's soccer season has also proven to be a success in the classroom for the student-athletes as five players were honored on the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas Scholar All-Central Region teams Tuesday (Dec. 12).
Junior defender Ginny Graczyk from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and University of Detroit Mercy senior forward Mary Parker both picked up First-Team accolades to go along with their College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA)/ESPN the Magazine Academic All-American awards they already earned for their efforts in the classroom.
Graczyk, who owns a 3.87 grade-point average as a health sciences/psychology major, played every minute of every game for a UW-Milwaukee defense that posted a school-record 16 shutouts and ranked fourth in the nation with a school-standard 0.44 goals-against average.
Parker carries a 3.80 grade-point average as a biology and pre-med major, and has won Horizon League Scholar-Athlete of the Week recognition three times. She earned Horizon League Player of the Year honors this season after topping the circuit with 17 goals and 40 points. It was the second time in her career she took home the award (the first coming in 2004) and she became only the fifth player to earn First-Team All-League honors in four consecutive seasons.
University of Wisconsin-Green Bay senior forward Stephanie Gross added Second-Team recognition from the NSCAA to her list of scholastic awards from her 2006 campaign, having already having earned First-Team Academic All-American honors from CoSIDA and a Horizon League Scholar-Athlete of the Week distinction.
Third-Team credit was given to UW-Milwaukee senior midfielder Stacey Faude and Loyola University Chicago junior midfielder Heather Lau. Faude had two goals and two assists for six points this season, while helping lead the Panthers to a perfect 7-0-0 loop mark. In the classroom, she owns a 3.65 GPA as a biology major. Lau picked up two goals and four assists in scoring eight points. She was also named to the Horizon League's All-Tournament team after the Ramblers took home their second loop crown in program history. Academically, Lau owns a 3.36 GPA with her focus on marketing.
The NSCAA also gave honorable mention to Loyola's Emily Peick, Amanda Ward and Mary Dale; UW-Green Bay's Brooke Wikgren, Dixie Schubert and Lotte Rasmussen; and UW-Milwaukee's Joanna Severson.
The NSCAA recognizes academic teams from the Central, West, East and South regions. Players named to the First-Team Scholar All-Region teams are placed on the national ballot, with the NSCAA/adidas Scholar All-America team announced next week. The NSCAA awards are considered among the most prestigious in the sport. The organization is unique in its selection process, putting all colleges and universities (NCAA Divisions I, II and III plus NAIA) into one group rather than recognizing separate teams for each level.
To be eligible for NSCAA Scholar All-Region honors, student-athletes must maintain a grade-point average of 3.30 (on a 4.00 scale) or higher with junior or higher status academically, and start more than 50 percent of the team's matches and be a significant contributor.
Note: The NSCAA/adidas Scholar All-Central Region Teams can be on the PDF version of this release.
