Quartet of Kats named Academic All-Southland
12/9/2015 11:28:00 AM | Soccer
Four Sam Houston State soccer players have been named to the Southland Conference All-Academic Teams including three first-team members, the league office announced Wednesday.
Senior midfielder Mariah Titus, sophomore defender Caitlin Schwartz and senior goalkeeper Kylie Hambleton were first-team honorees while senior defender Katie Bunch earned second-team recognition.
The recognition comes after Sam Houston reached its first league championship match in a decade and logged a program-best 10 wins. One month into the season, the Bearkats were honored for the eighth straight year by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) for touting a 3.31 GPA.
“We're proud of these players to be honored,” eighth-year head coach Tom Brown said. “To have three players on the first team speaks well to how they did academically as well as athletically. I think this is a foundation of our team. It's not only to excel on the field but to make sure we are taking care of our academic obligations.”
Hambleton, a three-time all-academic selection, posted a 3.94 GPA in management information services and is graduating in 3 ½ years. The Katy product and Southland Conference All-Tournament team honoree also ranked second in the conference with a 0.88 goals against average while propelling the Kats to three straight shutouts at the league tournament.
Titus, an automatic selection the list, earned a 3.32 GPA in psychology and was both a First-Team All-Southland Conference honoree and all-tournament team player. The Bedford native tallied five goals and as many assists, including the game-winning assist against Stephen F. Austin.
Schwartz was also an automatic selection after being named First-Team All-Southland and posting a 3.38 GPA in English. The San Antonio product helped anchor a defense that finished second in the league with 0.83 goals against average and nine shutouts.
Bunch, another integral part of the Bearkats back line, owns a 3.90 GPA in biomedical sciences. The Conroe product played in 19 games and made 10 starts as one of 10 seniors to help reinvent the program's success.
“From the first time we meet with recruits, our vision of what they're supposed to do in the classroom is very clearly explained,” Brown said. “We expect them to do their best and be in class. That's the reason they are coming here is to get a degree. We expect them to work as hard in there as on the field.”
Sam Houston matched Stephen F. Austin with three first-team members while the four total honorees ranked second in the conference. This is the second consecutive season four Bearkats have been recognized among the two 12-member teams.
2015 Southland Conference All-Academic Teams
|
First Team |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Name |
School |
Position |
Cl. |
GPA |
Major |
|
Abigail Koenigs* |
UIW |
Forward |
Jr. |
3.86 |
Biology |
|
Carolina Orsi* |
Stephen F. Austin |
Forward |
Jr. |
4.00 |
Kinesiology |
|
Alexus Aviles |
Lamar |
Forward |
So. |
3.74 |
Nutrition |
|
Blake Martin*, 3 |
Houston Baptist |
Midfielder |
Sr. |
4.00 |
Nursing |
|
Sam Houston State |
Midfielder |
Sr. |
3.32 |
Psychology |
|
|
Amanda Doyle*, 2 |
Stephen F. Austin |
Midfielder |
Jr. |
3.57 |
Kinesiology |
|
Kelsi Roberts*2 |
Abilene Christian |
Defender |
Jr. |
4.00 |
Biochemistry |
|
Megan Campbell*, 2 |
Lamar |
Defender |
Sr. |
3.94 |
Mechanical Engineering |
|
Sam Houston State |
Defender |
So. |
3.38 |
English |
|
|
Brooke Dunnigan*, 1, 2 |
Stephen F. Austin |
Defender |
Jr. |
3.92 |
Food and Nutrition Dietetics |
|
Sam Houston State |
Goalkeeper |
Sr. |
3.94 |
Management Information Systems |
|
|
Cassandra Briscoe^ |
Northwestern State |
Midfielder |
Sr. |
3.76 |
Mass Communication |
|
|
|
||||
|
Second Team |
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mari Olastuen |
Lamar |
Forward |
Sr. |
3.57 |
Business |
|
Ellee Hall |
Houston Baptist |
Forward |
So. |
3.50 |
Accounting |
|
Esdeina Gonzalez |
Northwestern State |
Forward |
So. |
3.60 |
Business |
|
Gabi D'Alesandro |
McNeese State |
Midfielder |
So. |
3.28 |
Biology Sciences |
|
Hannah Savoie |
Nicholls |
Midfielder |
Jr. |
3.73 |
Business Administration |
|
Rachel Owens2 |
Stephen F. Austin |
Midfielder |
Sr. |
3.57 |
Mass Media |
|
Kelly Ann Craig |
Stephen F. Austin |
Defender |
Jr. |
3.71 |
Geology |
|
Chantal Kinsey |
Abilene Christian |
Defender |
So. |
3.89 |
Biology |
|
Lillie Ehlert |
Stephen F. Austin |
Goalkeeper |
Jr. |
3.88 |
Pre-Nursing |
|
Sam Houston State |
Defender |
Sr. |
3.90 |
Biomedical Sciences |
* Automatic Selection
^At-large Selection
1Student-Athlete of the Year
2Two-time all-academic selection
3Three-time all-academic selection
