KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The United Soccer Coaches (USC) released the 2019 Scholar All-America and Scholar All-Region Teams this week, and five Southern Collegiate Athletic Conference student-athletes earned recognition.
Trinity’s Kristen Canepa headlined the SCAC contingent, earning both USC First Team Scholar All-America and All-West Region honors for the second cosecutive year.
An Accounting major with a cumulative GPA of 3.69, Canepa has earned Trinity Dean's list recognition as well as a SCAC Academic Honor Roll kudos three times in her decorated career. In an announcement made two weeks ago, she was selected to the USC All-America First Team, also for the second year in a row. The Thousand Oaks, Calif., native was named to the organization's All-West Region First Team, and was elected the SCAC Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive occasion - becoming the first player in league history to earn Defensive POTY recognition in back-to-back seasons. In 2018, Canepa was elected to the D3soccer.com All-America First Team. During the 2019 campaign, Canepa scored five goals, with two game-winners, and chalked up two assists.
Four other SCAC women's soccer student-athletes earned Scholar All-West Region recognition. Joining Canepa on the first team were Southwestern University teammates Mary Cardone and Romie Reyna. Cardone also earned First Team Scholar All-West Region honors last year while Reyna was a Second Team selection. Trinity's Paige Wallace and Johnson & Wales' Natasha Martin, who were both named to the Second Team, earned Scholar All-West Region honors for the first time in their careers.
Cardone, a senior Business major from San Antonio, Texas, who currently sports a 3.88 cumulative GPA, finished the season as the conference leader in shutouts (nine) and save percentage (.869), and second in goals-against average (0.74) and saves (106). She wraps up her career as the Pirates' all-time leader in career save percentage (.855), shutouts (26), and goals against average (0.86). Cardone was First Team All-SCAC goalkeeper for the third time in her career, earned her second straight USC All-West Region honor and was the SCAC Elite 19 award winner for women's soccer for the second consecutive year.
Reyna, a senior Kinesiology major with a 3.70 GPA, scored two goals this season, including one game-winner, for four points while combining with Cardone to anchor a Pirate defense that allowed just 20 goals in 22 games, sporting a 0.91 goals-against-average while posting posted 12 shutouts. A two-time All-SCAC First Team defender, Reyna hails from Fort Worth, Texas.
Trinity's Wallace, a junior goalkeeper from Austin, Texas, was previously selected for the All-SCAC Second Team. The talented keeper was ranked 19th in NCAA Division III goals-against average, at 0.523. Wallace, who majors in Anthropology and carries a 3.66 cumulative GPA, made 38 saves during the 2019 campaign.
JWU's Martin, a senior forward from Las Vegas, Nev., with a 3.53 in Criminal Justice, was named to the All-SCAC Second Team after leading the Wildcats with eight goals and 19 points, ranking fifth in the conference in both categories. She wrapped up her record-setting JWU Denver career as the program's all-time leader in goals (33) and points (80) and second in assists (14) and is the first All-Scholar honoree in program history (DIII era).
To be eligible for Scholar All-Region or All-America recognition, student-athletes must meet the following criteria:
- 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) or better throughout career
- Started more than 50 percent of all games and significantly contribute to their team
- Nominated by head coach of current College Services member institution
- Junior or above in academic standing; and, if a transfer student, in second year at school.
To view the entire United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-America team, click here.
To view the entire United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-West Region team, click here.
