BEAUMONT, Texas - Lamar University's women's soccer team has five players who received accolades for their hard work in the classroom.
Cena Carlson,
Marissa Gross,
Olivia Smith,
Katherine Williams and
Sydney Williams have each been named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team announced organization officials Tuesday morning.
This honor recognizes student-athletes at the NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA levels for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom. To qualify for the Academic All-District teams, student-athletes must be at least sophomores academically, maintain a 3.50 cumulative grade point average, and have competed in at least 90 percent of the team's games while starting in 66 percent of them.
Carlson (Gillette, Wyo.) earned a perfect 4.0 GPA in biology this past season. She was on the pitch for 915 minutes in 17 matches, while starting in 15 matches. Carlson scored three goals, including game winners against Sam Houston and Texas Southern while dishing out three assists.
Gross (South Grand Prairie, Texas) posted a 3.83 GPA in university studies. Playing in 18 matches with 17 starts, she played 1,002 minutes delivering two goals and two assists for the season. Her first goal was against SHSU, which sealed LU's first win of the season, while her second came against East Texas A&M.
Smith (East Rutherford, N.J.) is now a two-time academic all-district honoree after securing a 3.85 GPA in exercise science. On the pitch, she accumulated 852 minutes in 19 contests with six starts. Smith helped anchor the Cardinals' defense to five shutouts, including a 2-0 win over the conference regular season champions in Northwestern State.
Katherine Williams (Spring, Texas) spent her semester accumulating a 3.66 GPA while majoring in accounting. She appeared in all 20 games while starting four for 912 minutes. Katherine set a school record by scoring the fastest goal in school history against Texas A&M-Corpus Christi, when she achieved the feat in 27 seconds.
Sydney Williams (Allen, Texas) compiled a 3.83 GPA with a major in university studies health sciences. Spending 1,152 minutes on the pitch, the sophomore scored two goals for the season, including a game winner against Houston Christian. Sydney also recorded three assists and helped lead the Cardinals' defense to five shutouts. Her play earned her a spot on the All-Southland Conference second team.
The Cardinals finished the regular season 7-8-5 overall, which included a 3-3-4 conference record to earn the sixth seed in the conference tournament. LU would then reach the semifinals after a win over Southeastern Louisiana in the first round.
