Thursday, November 7, 2019

PORTLAND, Ore. – Transcending expectations on the field and in the classroom, eight GNAC women’s soccer players were selected to the 2019 College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District 8 Women’s Soccer Team.

The conference is led by Western Oregon, which landed a trio of seniors on the team. Seattle Pacific saw a pair of players selected while Concordia, Montana State Billings and Western Washington all had one player selected.

Earning the nod from the Wolves is senior forward Selene Konyn, senior goalkeeper Alex Qualls and senior defender Kaitlin Poe.

An early childhood education major, Konyn is one of three players on the All-District 8 Team with a 4.00 grade point average and has recorded five goals, four assists and 14 points this season. Qualls posted a 3.93 GPA as a criminal justice major and ranks second in the conference with six shutouts while also ranking third with a 0.98 goals against average. Poe registered a 3.85 GPA, also as an early childhood education major, and scored two goals this season while also helping Qualls to anchor a strong Western Oregon defense.

Representing the Falcons is sophomore defender Mariah Alexander and junior forward Sophia Chilczuk. Alexander posted a 4.00 GPA as a business administration major and has started in 15 matches for the Falcons this season, contributing with two goals and two assists. Chilczuk posted a 3.84 GPA as an applied human biology major. She was a First Team All-GNAC selection in 2018 and has paced the Falcons this season with five goals, two assists and 12 points.

Rounding out the GNAC’s All-District 8 selections are Montana State Billings senior defender Amanda Hemmen (4.00 GPA), Concordia senior defender Rebecca Harris (3.96) and Western Washington junior midfielder Grace Eversaul (3.83).

The GNAC competed with the California Collegiate Athletic Association (CCAA) and Pacific West conferences for selections to the Academic All-District 8 Team. The GNAC took over with eight players landing on the team while the CCAA was represented by three players and the PacWest was represented by one player.

The Academic All-District teams are nominated and voted upon by members of CoSIDA and recognize student-athletes of sophomore standing or better who are starters or significant reserves for their teams with a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.30 or better. The players selected will be put up for consideration for the Academic All-American Team.