KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- It’s been a successful year on and off the field for the Trinity University women’s soccer team, as three members of the squad earned National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Scholar All-America honors Thursday.
To be named to a Scholar All-America Team, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) throughout his or her career; start more than 50 percent of all games and be a significant contributor to the team; and be nominated by an institution that is a current NSCAA College Services member. The team is made up of student-athletes from NCAA Division III, NAIA and NCCAA.
Seniors Emily Donnan and Kimberly Polasek earned first team honors, while junior Janie Thompson was named to second team.
Donnan, a defender from Houston, Texas, is majoring in psychology and holds a 3.43 grade point average. She led a defense that ranked fourth in the nation, allowing just 0.265 goals per game. Donnan also contributed to the offensive attack, totaling three goals and one assists for seven points on the season.
Polasek, a midfielder from Houston, Texas, boasts a 3.85 GPA, majoring in biology. Polasek ranked third on the team with seven goals, while adding two assists for 16 total points. She also notched two game winning goals on the season, both coming during conference action.
Rounding out the SCAC honorees is Thompson, a goalkeeper from Leawood, Kan. The junior is majoring in Neuroscience and currently holds an impressive 3.51 GPA.
On the field, Thompson played in 21 games, making 18 starts and totaling 1171:06 minutes in the net. She allowed just four goals all season for a 0.31 goals against average. She also notched 24 saves, marking a save percentage of 0.857. The Tiger defense posted 16 shutouts on the season.
This is the first academic honor of the year for all three players, as the NSCAA has not yet released a Scholar All-Region team for the women.
