Wednesday, October 13, 2021

PORTLAND, Ore. – A total of 118 student-athletes were selected to the 2021 GNAC Women’s Soccer All-Academic Team, presented by Barnes & Noble College, for their excellence in the classroom and on the field. Western Washington leads the way with 22 selections, including four-time honorees Natalie Dierickx and Grace Eversaul.

Eversaul boasts a 3.89 GPA as a recreation management and leadership major while scoring three goals with two assists in 11 matches this season. Dierickx, who has a 3.41 GPA as a communications major, is a two-time All-GNAC First Team goalkeeper who has six shutouts through 11 matches this year.

Five other four-time honorees join the WWU duo: Central Washington’s Sophia Keenan, Northwest Nazarene’s Jade Zimmer, Seattle Pacific’s Sophia Chilczuk and Claire Neder and Montana State Billings senior Rachel Lythgoe, who has a perfect 4.0 GPA as a public relations major.

There were 54 repeat selections to the All-Academic Team, a number that includes the seven four-time selections and 17 three-time selections. After the Vikings’ 22 honorees, Central Washington had the next-highest number of any school with 19 selections followed by Northwest Nazarene and Seattle Pacific with 17.

Nine women’s soccer players have perfect 4.0 GPAs: Central Washington’s Kayla Gout, Grace Jackson and Megan Meindersee, Montana State Billings’s Clare Keenan, Lythgoe and Kiley Sandow, Saint Martin’s Ellison Kephart, Seattle Pacific’s Mariah Alexander and Western Washington’s Chloe Unflat.

To qualify for the GNAC All-Academic Teams, presented by Barnes & Noble College, nominees must be of sophomore eligibility or greater, have a minimum cumulative GPA or 3.20 or greater, be a letterwinner on their team and must be in their second year at the nominating institution. 

Thanks to eligibility waivers provided by the NCAA due to the cancellation of the 2020 season, players who continue to hold freshman eligibility but are in their second season of competition at the nominating institution were eligible for selection to the GNAC All-Academic Team.