KANSAS City, Mo. – The United Soccer Coaches honored the Ladies Soccer team with the Team Academic Award for the 2017-18 academic year on Thursday, October 4. It was the first time either Centenary Soccer program has been recognized with this achievement.
"Congratulations to the Ladies on this great achievement," said Centenary president Dr. Christopher L. Holoman. "Under Coach Cathell's leadership, the Ladies soccer team members have consistently been recognized for their academic excellence, so this is a well-deserved honor. They exemplify the ideal of the scholar-athlete that we support and celebrate at Centenary. I am very grateful for the way they represent the College both in the classroom and on the field."
The Ladies, in the first season under head coach Greg Cathell in 2017, finished the 2017-18 academic year with a 3.19 GPA. To be eligible for Academic Honors, a team had to accumulate a 3.0 GPA or above.
"As a team that strives to be competitive not only on the field but off as well, it's an incredible honor for our Ladies to earn this recognition," said Cathell. "We are very proud of the hard work that each player puts in on a daily basis to become the best all-around student-athletes that they can be. Centenary College has a strong reputation of academic success, and we are more than pleased to continue this tradition."
Nearly half of the team (10 of 21) appeared on the SCAC Scholar's List for the 2017 season. To receive this honor, a student-athlete needed to record a minimum 3.25 GPA during the semester of their playing season. Recent graduate Emily Duet was recognized for the third time, while classmates Connor Harwood and Riley Spudic, with junior Serena Gallegos, were honored for the second time.
On the pitch, Centenary achieved its highest ever finish in the Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference regular season standings by finishing fourth. Hosting the conference tournament, Centenary fought to a scoreless draw with Southwestern in the quarterfinals. The Ladies advanced to the semifinals on penalty kicks before falling to nationally-ranked Trinity. It was the first time in program history that the Ladies advanced in the conference tournament. Three individuals received All-Conference accolades, including a First Team honor for junior Kyra Montes.
So far in 2018, Centenary is 8-3 overall and 5-3 in SCAC Play – the most SCAC wins ever in program history and the most overall wins since the 2011 season. The Ladies return to the pitch Friday night when they take on Southwestern in a key conference showdown. Kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m.
