CULLOWHEE, N.C. – Six members of the 2023 Southern Conference Women's Soccer Championship squad were selected among an elite list of NCAA Division I student-athletes on Tuesday afternoon as graduate student Maggie Lloyd, along with senior Katelyn Galbraith, juniors Sarah Engen, Alexis DeMarco and Naya Marcil and sophomore Leanne Trudel were each named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District Team.
The 2023 Academic All-District® Soccer Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom.
The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes soccer honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III, and NAIA. Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second-, and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced on December 20th.
Forward Maggie Lloyd is one of two Catamounts with a 4.0 cumulative GPA as the Shelby, N.C. native majors in Master of Health Sciences with a Concentration in Management. She appeared in 18 matches while getting 17 starts for WCU in the 2023 season, tallying a pair of goals and a pair of assists. Lloyd's goals came in victories during WCU's 4-0 win over Presbyterian and its 5-0 victory over SoCon foe Wofford. Lloyd also earned All-District honors in 2022 from CSC.
Defender Sarah Engen received Tuesday's honor with a 4.0 GPA, as she majors in Integrated Health Sciences with a Pre-Professional Concentration. She was a part of the Catamount backline that totaled 12 shutouts over WCU's 13 wins that carried the way to a SoCon Championship. The second-team all-conference honoree finished third on the team with five assists.
Senior Katelyn Galbraith carries a 3.97 GPA as an Integrated Health Sciences Major with a concentration in Pre-Professional. Galbraith joined the strong backline for the Catamounts as a part of the 12 shutouts, which also helped the team rank third in the conference with just 16 goals allowed. She got on the scoresheet in 2023 with a pair of assists.
The second-team All-SoCon honoree in goal, Leanne Trudel holds a 3.97 GPA while majoring in Emergency Medical Care with a Science Concentration. She was a mainstay between the pipes for the Catamounts, totaling nine solo shutouts and 12 overall clean sheets throughout her 13 wins in 2023. Trudel totaled 64 saves and held a goals-against average of 0.87. She finished tied for third in the single-season record book with 13 victories.
Alexis DeMarco, a nursing major with a 3.85 GPA, played in all 21 games for WCU in its run to the 2023 SoCon Championship. DeMarco totaled four goals, ranked third on the team along with a pair of assists throughout the campaign as she had the game-winners in victories over The Citadel and Wofford.
The final honoree for WCU is Naya Marcil, who finished the season with nine goals and nine assists. She finished second on the team in goals while tying a single-season record for assists in WCU history. Marcil garnered first-team all-conference honors following the conclusion of the 2023 season. She carries a 3.714 GPA as a management major.
Following the 2023 SoCon Championship victory, Lloyd, along with fellow honoree Galbraith, was one of two Catamounts to receive the Pinnacle Award, which is given to the highest cumulative GPA among championship-eligible student-athletes from the winning team.
All six honorees on Tuesday each received the SoCon Commissioners Medal for the 2022-23 academic year, which is given to student-athletes in the SoCon who achieve at least a 3.8 GPA in the academic year.
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