Jenny Pence, Kate Wesneski named Academic All-SLC
12/16/2009 1:00:00 PM | Soccer
Pence earned first team selection for the second year in a row. Wesneski was voted to the second team.
The 22 student-athletes from the league's women's soccer teams selected by vote of Southland Conference head soccer coaches and university academic coordinators and sports information directors was announced Wednesday by the Southland office.
To be nominated, a student-athlete must be a starter or top reserve and maintain an overall grade point average of 3.2 or higher for two semesters prior to the 2009 season at their university. True freshmen are not eligible for the award.
"This is an important honor for our program," Sam Houston head soccer coach Tom Brown said. "Our program's goal is to recruit student-athletes who will be leaders both on the field and in the class room. We have several freshmen on the squad who will be eligible for this honor next season."
Sam Houston was one of only two Southland Conference teams to earn the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) team academic award with the squad's 3.33 overall team grade point average in 2009.
Pence, a junior from Kingwood, holds a perfect 4.00 grade point average during her three years at Sam Houston as a biology major and chemistry and kinesiology double minor.
In her third season as the Bearkats' goalkeeper, she was credited with six shutouts and 146 saves, producing a 1.70 goals against average in 1,798 minutes of action. Pence was selected to the CoSIDA All-America All-District Six team and earned honorable mention All-Southland Conference this fall. She was a two-time Southland Conference "Goalkeeper of the Week" honoree and holds Sam Houston school records for career shutouts (17), goals against average (1.56) and consecutive scoreless minutes (615).
Wesneski, a sophomore from Katy, also owns a perfect 4.00 grade point average as a business administration major.
She started in all but one match this fall as Sam Houston produced its first winning Southland Conference league record with a 5-4 mark, its highest conference finish (fourth) and tied the school mark for victories in a season. Wesneski scored three goals including a tally with 30 seconds left to force overtime in the Kats' Southland post-season tournament victory over UTSA.
Nicole Watkins, junior defender from Deer Park, was honorable mention as an Academic All-Southland nominee for the Bearkats. She holds a 3.29 grade point average as an accounting major. Watkins started in nine matches and played in six others. She was a starter in the back line in five of the team's six shutouts.
| FIRST TEAM | ||||
| GK | Jenny Pence | SHSU | 4.00 | Biology |
| DF | Erin Binagia | Lamar | 4.00 | Exercise Science |
| DF | Jessica Elting | Texas St. | 3.40 | Interdisciplinary Studies |
| DF | Dana Mayer | SE LA | 4.00 | Hospitality Management |
| DF | Ezinne Okpo | UTSA | 3.81 | Political Science |
| MF | Chelsea Zimmerman | UTSA | 3.39 | Business |
| MF | Kelsey Bernard | Texas St. | 3.28 | Sports Science |
| MF | Alana Clark | McNeese | 3.51 | Human Performance |
| MF | Candice Wallace | SE LA | 3.15 | Exercise Science |
| FW | Britney Curry | Texas St. | 3.32 | Accounting |
| FW | Chelsey Gibbs | NW St. | 3.49 | Hospitality Management |
| FW | Megan Cash | SFA | 3.91 | Communication Studies |
| SECOND TEAM | ||||
| GK | Lindy Strahan | NW St. | 3.65 | Psychology |
| DF | Kate Wesneski | SHSU | 4.00 | Business Administration |
| DF | Kyle MacIntosh | SE LA | 4.00 | Fitness |
| DF | Chelse Brozgold | NW St. | 3.40 | Fitness |
| MF | Sarah Sadler | NW St. | 3.66 | Psychology |
| MF | Rachel O'steen | NW St. | 3.74 | Journalism |
| MF | Katie Dugan | UTSA | 3.86 | Biology |
| FW | Erica Michaud | Texas St. | 3.04 | General Studies |
| FW | Alicia Gautreau | Nicholls | 3.44 | Nursing |
| FW | Allison Dillon | UTSA | 3.36 | Accounting |
