COLLEGE STATION, Texas - The Texas A&M Aggies were honored for their scholastic endeavors as they garnered the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Team Academic Award. The organization announced its list of honorees for the 2015-16 academic year on Thursday.
For a team to be considered for the NSCAA Team Academic Award, it must have a composite team GPA of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) for all team members who appeared on the official NCAA roster forms for the fall season (2015). Coach G Guerrieri's squad earned the award for the fifth consecutive year and the seventh year overall, logging a 3.11 GPA for Fall 2015 and Spring 2016.
"The players continue to make us proud with their work in the classroom," Guerrieri said. "It says a lot about the quality of the people we have on this team. We have a squad of young women who are dedicated to being successful on the field and in the classroom. This is special to us because it's a team award and an academic award. Those are two things we embrace whole heartedly."
The Aggies' scholastic standing was spearheaded by outstanding performances in the classroom by then-senior Karlie Mueller and current Aggies Grace Wright and McKayla Paulson who all earned CoSIDA Academic All-District 7 accolades in 2015. Qualifications to be nominated for CoSIDA Academic All-America include being appearing in at least 50 percent of the team's games, being enrolled in class at Texas A&M for at least one year and owning a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or higher. This year's candidates for Academic All-America honors include Brittany Crabtree, Kate Hajdu, Claudette Lassandro, Stephanie Malherbe, Paulson, Sarah Shaw and Wright.
The Aggies' academic stature has been steadily improving. In 2014, Groom earned CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team status. Shea Groom and Meghan Streight earned NSCAA Scholar All-America First Team recognition for the second consecutive season. Texas A&M and UCLA were the only teams to have multiple players selected to the 12-player first-team. That year Texas A&M had five players earn NSCAA Scholar All-South Region Team distinction, the only squad with more than three designees. Groom, Annie Kunz and Streight were named to the NSCAA All-South Region First Team, Janae Cousineau was named to the Second Team and Leigh Edwards was selected for the Third Team.
Last year's squad experienced success on the field as well as in the classroom. The Aggies finished the 2015 season ranked No. 9 in the NSCAA Coaches Poll. A&M posted a 17-7-2 record for the year. The Maroon and White appeared in their 21st consecutive NCAA Division I Championship, advancing to the quarterfinal for the sixth time in school history.
For a team to be considered for the NSCAA Team Academic Award, it must have a composite team GPA of at least 3.0 (on a 4.0 scale) for all team members who appeared on the official NCAA roster forms for the fall season (2015). Coach G Guerrieri's squad earned the award for the fifth consecutive year and the seventh year overall, logging a 3.11 GPA for Fall 2015 and Spring 2016.
"The players continue to make us proud with their work in the classroom," Guerrieri said. "It says a lot about the quality of the people we have on this team. We have a squad of young women who are dedicated to being successful on the field and in the classroom. This is special to us because it's a team award and an academic award. Those are two things we embrace whole heartedly."
The Aggies' scholastic standing was spearheaded by outstanding performances in the classroom by then-senior Karlie Mueller and current Aggies Grace Wright and McKayla Paulson who all earned CoSIDA Academic All-District 7 accolades in 2015. Qualifications to be nominated for CoSIDA Academic All-America include being appearing in at least 50 percent of the team's games, being enrolled in class at Texas A&M for at least one year and owning a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or higher. This year's candidates for Academic All-America honors include Brittany Crabtree, Kate Hajdu, Claudette Lassandro, Stephanie Malherbe, Paulson, Sarah Shaw and Wright.
The Aggies' academic stature has been steadily improving. In 2014, Groom earned CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team status. Shea Groom and Meghan Streight earned NSCAA Scholar All-America First Team recognition for the second consecutive season. Texas A&M and UCLA were the only teams to have multiple players selected to the 12-player first-team. That year Texas A&M had five players earn NSCAA Scholar All-South Region Team distinction, the only squad with more than three designees. Groom, Annie Kunz and Streight were named to the NSCAA All-South Region First Team, Janae Cousineau was named to the Second Team and Leigh Edwards was selected for the Third Team.
Last year's squad experienced success on the field as well as in the classroom. The Aggies finished the 2015 season ranked No. 9 in the NSCAA Coaches Poll. A&M posted a 17-7-2 record for the year. The Maroon and White appeared in their 21st consecutive NCAA Division I Championship, advancing to the quarterfinal for the sixth time in school history.