OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – The Citadel’s Mariana Garcia has been named as one of 30 candidates for the Senior CLASS Award for Division I women's soccer.
From this list, a national media committee will select 10 finalists in October, and those names will be placed on the official ballot. The recipient of the award, which will be presented at the Women's College Cup in December, will then be determined by a nationwide vote of fans, media and coaches.
The award is an acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, and it focuses on the total student-athlete, encouraging students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
To be eligible for the award, the student-athlete must have notable achievements in four areas of excellence – community, classroom, character and competition.
Garcia has established herself as one of the top players in the history of The Citadel women's soccer program while also starring in the classroom. She has augmented her athletic and academic pursuits with several internships in her chosen field of medicine.
The Bogota, Colombia, native enters his senior season as the school's career leader in goals (31), points (67) and game-winning goals (11) and is the active Southern Conference leader in the first two categories. A year ago, she scored 14 goals and ranked 11th in the nation with an average of .778 goals per game.
Elected a team captain for the 2013 season, Garcia is a three-time All-SoCon selection, including a pair of berths on the first team, and was the 2010 conference player and freshman of the year.
Garcia is pursuing a double major in biology and psychology and holds a 3.71 cumulative grade point average through her first six college semesters. She has been on the Dean's List five times and is a multiple recipient of Gold Stars for a 3.7 or higher GPA.
She has completed internships locally at the VA Hospital, Dream Center Clinic, MUSC and, most recently, at Retina Consultants of Charleston.
Garcia is the only SoCon player selected among the 60 student-athletes that comprise the women's and men's soccer candidate list.