TEMPE, Ariz. – A program record 15 Arizona State University women's soccer student-athletes were recognized by the Pac-12 for their work in the classroom as the conference announced its annual All-Academic teams on Tuesday.
For the Sun Devils, this year's total number of student-athletes honored breaks the previous program standard of 14 set by the 2011 squad.
Headlining ASU's 15 honorees are sophomore defender Madison Stark (3.96 GPA – Journalism and Mass Communication) and sophomore midfielder Madison Kmetko (3.93 – Exploratory Social and Behavioral Sciences), who both earned first-team recognition.
Senior midfielder Whitney Kanavel (3.82 – Psychology), senior defender Alyssa Martinez (3.81 – Health Sciences) and sophomore forward Jessica Raybe (3.80 – Exercise and Wellness) all earned second-team recognition. It's the second straight season that Kanavel has received second-team notice while Martinez adds the distinction after being named honorable mention each of the last two seasons.
ASU's five combined first- (2) and second-team (3) awards are the most of any school in the conference. In addition, since 2007 (Kevin Boyd's first season as head coach) the Sun Devil soccer program leads the conference in the number of first-team awards (25) and the number of first- and second-team awards (39). ASU has had 10 or more players named to the league's All-Academic teams in all nine of Boyd's seasons as head coach.
The Sun Devils also had 10 players earn honorable mention recognition: seniors McKenzie Berryhill (first career Pac-12 Academic award), Cali Farquharson (third career Pac-12 Academic award), Tommi Goodman (third career Pac-12 Academic award), Lucy Lara (first career Pac-12 Academic award), Chandler Morris (third career Pac-12 Academic award), Rachel Ometer (second career Pac-12 Academic award) and Sara Tosti (third career Pac-12 Academic award); junior Mckenzie Grossman (second career Pac-12 Academic award) and sophomores Taylor Coon (first career Pac-12 Academic award) and Jazmarie Mader (first career Pac-12 Academic award).
To be eligible for selection to the Pac-12 All-Academic Team, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.0 overall grade-point average, must have been at the school at least one year and be either a starter or significant contributor to the team (defined as participating in at least 50 percent of a team's games).