Drutchas and Elswick Garner ESPN/CoSIDA Academic Honors; Drutchas Advances to National Ballot
DAVIDSON, N.C. - Senior co-captains Allison Drutchas (Bloomfield Hills, Mich.) and Callan Elswick (Locust Grove, Va.) were both recognized for their outstanding seasons on the field as well as in the classroom by being named to the first and second teams, respectively, on coSIDA/ESPN Academic All-District III Teams.
For making the first team, Drutchas will now be placed on the national ballot for the Academic All-America team.
It was the 11th and 12th time a Wildcat player has earned the honor and second straight year Davidson has placed at least one player on one of the three teams. Drutchas and Elswick, who was named to the All-District Third Team last year, were also two of six players from the Southern Conference to be named to either the first, second or third team this season.
³Allison and Callan represent the very best in intercollegiate athletics at Davidson College, and what great heights are attainable through hard work and commitment,² said head coach Greg Ashton. ³They embody the notion of the Otrue scholar-athlete,¹ and, even better, both are equally honorable and generous members of the college community beyond their two primary pursuits of school and soccer. We are so proud of them and grateful for their contributions these past four years.²
Drutchas directed the Wildcats offense this year at the midfield position as she started all 20 games. She closed out her four-year career with an outstanding season that saw her set a personal-best for assists with a team-high nine, tied for second-most in a Wildcat single-season. Her nine assists currently rank second in the SoCon.
Drutchas, a preseason all-conference pick, led the team overall this year with 15 points, also a career-high, and tied fellow senior Amanda Flink (Richardson, Texas) and freshman Deprise Brazel (San Diego,Calif.) for team-high honors in goals with three.
She finished her career with six goals and 18 assists for 30 points in 81 games, 75 of those being starts.
The senior has also excelled in the classroom, twice being named to All-SoCon Academic Team. She holds a 3.98 GPA and is majoring in Philosophy.
This past summer, Drutchas was a recipient of the SoCon Coleman Lew Award, which recognizes student-athletes from each of the Southern Conference¹s 12-member institutions. Coaches, faculty athletic representatives and senior women administrators nominate prospective candidates based on leadership, academic excellence and athletic achievement in both the college environment and the community.
Elswick has also had a highly successful season on the field and off it. The senior started all 16 games this year and added her fifth career goal in a 2-0 win over Winthrop.
During her four-year career, Elswick played in 75 games and started 36 of them. She finished with five goals and five assists for 15 points.
The senior forward has also been recognized for her outstanding academic success during her senior campaign. Elswick, a two-time All-SoCon Academic Team member, is one of 10 finalists in the nation for the women¹s soccer Lowe's Senior CLASS Award. The finalists were chosen by a media committee from the list of 30 men's candidates and 30 women's candidates, which Elswick was a part of, that were announced in August.
Elswick holds 3.88 GPA and is majoring in Center for Interdisciplinary Studies.
Davidson closed out the 2010 season with a 6-8-6 overall mark and 2-4-5 in SoCon play. It advanced to the SoCon Tournament, falling in the first round to Samford in penalty kicks.
Furman's Smith Named To CoSIDA Academic All-District Second Team
Greenville, S.C. - Furman women's soccer standout Jessica Smith has been named to the College Sports Information Directors of America Academic All-District III Second Team, it was announced on Tuesday afternoon.
The goalkeeper and Franklin, Tenn., native fashioned a 1.07 goals against average while recording seven shutouts and ranking among the Southern Conference leaders with an .839 saves percentage this season. She limited her opponents to one goal or less 15 times in 20 starts.
Smith played all 1,928 minutes of Furman's season in goal to help the Paladins to a 9-8-3 record. She notched a shutout of Southeastern Conference foe Alabama, as well as, recording clean sheets versus SoCon top-four finishers College of Charleston and The Citadel.
Smith, who is majoring in chemistry, sports a 3.98 GPA.
Elon's Hallberg Earns Academic All-District Honors
ELON, N.C. - Elon University women's soccer senior forward Brittany Hallberg was named to the 2010 CoSIDA/ESPN Academic All-District 3 Third Team on Tuesday.
"Brittany works very hard at what she does and is very deserving of this honor," said Elon head women's soccer coach Chris Neal. "She is a great person on and off the field and we will certainly miss her when she graduates."
Hallberg, an elementary education major with a 3.62 grade point average, currently leads the Phoenix with 18 points this season. The Richmond, Va. native has registered six goals, including three game-winners, and six assists this season for Elon. On Sept. 8, Hallberg was named the Southern Conference Student-Athlete of the Week after helping Elon capture the UNC Wilmington Hilton Garden Inn Invitational title.
Couch Selected to CoSIDA ESPN Academic All-District Team
Charleston, S.C. - Bulldog soccer player Shanna Couch was tabbed to the 2010-11 CoSIDA/ESPN Academic All-District women's soccer third team for District 3 as announced by College Sports Information Directors of America on Tuesday.
Couch, a junior from Kansas City, Kan., received the honor based on her academic performance. While at the Military College of the South, she maintained a 4.00 cumulative grade point average majoring in Health, Exercise and Sport Science. To qualify, student-athletes must be a starter, own a 3.30 cumulative GPA and have participated in at least 50 percent of the team's games.
Playing defender for the Bulldogs, Couch has assisted the team to its most impressive season in program history. With an overall record of 12-7-1, while going 7-4 in Southern Conference action, The Citadel is currently making its first ever run in the league post-season tournament.
Annie Pease named to Academic All-District Team
TOWSON, Md. - College of Charleston senior defender Annie Pease has been named to the 2010 CoSIDA / ESPN Academic All-District Women's Soccer Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
The committee selects a University Division (Division I programs) and a College Division (DII, DIII, NAIA, NJCAA programs) for both men's and women's soccer. Pease (Marietta, Ga.) was named to the District III University Division third team after her senior accomplishments on the field and in the classroom.
Pease has maintained a 3.75 GPA while majoring in Political Science and History. She is also heavily involved in CofC's Literacy Outreach Initiative in which she reads to local fourth graders and discusses global issues and the importance of peace.
On the field, Pease has been a rock at central defense for the Cougars. She has started in all 20 matches and thwarted countless attempts on CofC's goal. Pease has also displayed her offensive field vision in registering two assists on the year.
District III (University Division) includes all Division I schools in Florida, Georgia, Virginia and North and South Carolina. Student-athletes selected for Academic All-District honors must be a starter or important reserve with legitimate athletic credentials. They must possess at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.00 scale). They must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing and must have completed at least one full academic year at their institution.
Three Academic All-District teams are chosen in each district, with those on the All-District first teams placed on the national ballot for Academic All-America consideration.
Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA, covering all NCAA championship sports.