GREENWOOD, Ind. – The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) announced the 2015 Academic All-District teams for women’s soccer Thursday afternoon, with three Southern Conference players earning the distinction.
ETSU senior midfielder Sarah Zadrazil and Chattanooga senior midfielder Clare Latham earned second-team honors in District 3, while Mercer senior goalkeeper Maggie Cropp was a first-team pick in District 4.
Zadrazil holds a cumulative grade point average of 3.90, majoring in exercise science. This season, Zadrazil leads the team with seven goals and is tied for the team lead in points with 20. The St.Gilgen, Austria, native also has six game-winning goals, which ranks fourth in the nation.
With the first-team selection, Cropp is now eligible for Academic All-America honors, where first-, second- and third-team honorees will be selected in November.
This is Cropp's first time as an All-District honoree, and she is the second Mercer player to garner an Academic All-District selection in program history, joining Kacie Hudson, who was named to the All-District third team in 2010.
The Morgan Hill, Calif., native has spent a majority of time in goal for the Bears this season, recording 66 saves and allowing eight goals for a .892 save percentage and 0.49 goals-against average. She leads the SoCon in both save percentage and GAA, while ranking seventh nationally in save percentage and 10th in GAA. Cropp has also tallied five shutouts this season, including two in league action.
Cropp and the rest of the Bears will play in the SoCon Tournament, hosting a second round game on Saturday, Oct. 31 at 7:30 p.m. at Bear Field.
Latham helped the Mocs to a 4-12-3 overall record and an eighth-place finish in the Southern Conference standings. She scored the game-winning goal against The Citadel for the Mocs first win in league play since 2012.
She closed out her career with nine goals, 12 assists and 30 points. She ranks sixth all-time at Chattanooga for assists and her team-best seven last year ranked fourth on the Mocs’ single-season chart.
In the classroom, she is majoring in early childhood education and carries a 4.0 GPA. She has been named to UTC’s Dean’s List and Athletics Director’s Honor Roll every semester as well as the Southern Conference Honor Roll. She is a three-time recipient of the Southern Conference Commissioner’s Medal for Academics.
To be eligible for the Academic All-District teams, student-athletes must be starters or important reserves with at least 3.30 cumulative grade point averages. Candidates also must complete at least one full academic year at the nominating institution and be at least sophomores athletically.
The honor recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom. This is the fifth year of the expanded Academic All-America program as CoSIDA recognizes four teams – NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II and NCAA Division III participants, while the College Division Academic All-District Team combined NAIA, Canadian and two-year schools.