| 2008
NAIA / KCAC Honors
Bulldog
Women's Soccer awarded 2008-09 NAIA Scholar Team
The 2008 McPherson College
women's soccer team received the Scholar Team award, named by the
National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). The Lady
Bulldogs finished the 2008-2009 academic school year with a team
grade point average of 3.28 on a 4.0 scale.
“I'm very pleased with the
overall performance of the ladies in the classroom,” said McPherson
College head women's soccer coach Robert Talley. “This academic
award reflects the girls desire to be a successful student-athlete
at McPherson College.”
For a team to be considered
for the NAIA Scholar Team award, they must have a minimum 3.0 grade
point average (on a 4.0 scale) as defined by the institution. The
team grade point average must include all varsity athletes certified
as eligible.
*****
Lady
Bulldogs receive NSCAA Ethics/Sportsmanship Award
The 2008 McPherson College
women's soccer team has recently been named a recipient of the NSCAA
(National Soccer Coaches Association of America) Ethics/Scholarship
Award.
McPherson, which earned the
bronze award, was one of 66 teams at all levels (NCAA D-I, D-II,
D-II, NAIA, NJCAA) recognized nationally to receive one of the three
levels of award.
In his letter of congratulations
to McPherson College women's head coach Robert Talley, Dr. Brian
Crossman, Chair of the NSCAA Ethics Committee, wrote, “Congratulations
again to you and your team for displaying such a high level of conduct
over the course of the season! The Ethics/Sportsmanship Award is
one of the most difficult to achieve in the entire NSCAA awards
program!”
“ We are very honored
to have received such a prestigious award for this past season ,”
said Robert Talley, McPherson College head women's coach. “To be
one of only eight NAIA women's soccer teams nationally to receive
this award shows that our ladies are disciplined in how we play
and how we address the officials.”
“I believe a team's demeanor
on the field is a direct reflection of its coaching staff, and climate
on the campus.”
Criteria for the NSCAA Ethics
award include:
1) A team may not have received
any Red Cards at any time during the regular season or play-offs.
2) Awards are based on the
number of yellow cards received during the season.
Gold Award
– 0 yellow cards; Silver Award – 1-5 yellow cards; Bronze Award
– 6-10 yellow cards
Benedictine College of Atchison's
women's team was the only other Kansas team at any level recognized
with the Ethics award.
*****
Lady
Bulldogs named NSCAA/adidas Scholars
Three members of the 2008
McPherson College women's soccer team have been named NSCAA (National
Soccer Coaches Association of America)/adidas All-Central Region
Scholars.
Named to the honorable mention
squad were Ashley McEndree, junior in biology from Humble,
Texas, Jessica Stahr, senior in graphic design from York
Nebr., and Whitney Williams, junior interdisciplinary major
from Salt Lake City, Utah.
Ashley
McEndree
Jessica Stahr
Whitney Williams
“We are very pleased
to see these three ladies recognized for their hard work and dedication
in the classroom,” said Robert Talley, McPherson College head women's
coach. “They are examples of the true definition of a student-athlete,
maintaining focus with a common balance between athletics and academics.”
“These three ladies are
also part of the first McPherson College women's soccer team
to receive the NSCAA Team Academic Award, received for maintaining
a team grade point average of 3.29 for the 2007-2008 season.”
Recipients of the NSCAA Scholar
award must have a minimum grade point average of 3.30 on a 4.00
scale, start more than 50% of the matches and be a significant contributor,
be a junior or above in academic standing, and be in at least the
second year of attendance at the nominating institution, and be
nominated by a coach who is a current NSCAA member and registered
as a college coach.
*****
Five
Lady Bulldogs receive All-KCAC soccer honors
McPherson College placed
two women on the 2008 All-KCAC soccer first team in a recent vote
of the conference's coaches.
Whitney Williams,
McPherson junior, earned her second consecutive first team spot
and freshman Anneliese Rotering earned her first
collegiate all-conference recognition.
Lady Bulldogs named to
the all-conference second team were sophomores Andrea Swanson
and Haley Cook .
Nicolette Rodriguez
received honorable mention honors.
“Each of these players had
a role in the success of our team this season” added McPherson head
women's soccer coach Robert Talley, “and it's nice to see the other
coaches in the conference give them the recognition they deserve.”
Whitney
Williams, a 2006 graduate of Skyline High School in Salt
Lake City, Utah, was named to the All-KCAC first team as a midfielder
for a second time in 2008.
The junior midfielder finished
the 2008 regular season with four goals, three of which were game
winning, and one assist, and ended the regular season as McPherson's
number two scorer.
Williams was named to
the 2007 All-KCAC and All-Region IV first team after finishing the
season with eight goals, four assists, and 20 points as she ranked
in the KCAC's top ten in points per game. Whitney was later named
to the NAIA honorable mention All-American squad.
Williams transferred to
McPherson College from York (Nebr.) College where she won all-conference
and NAIA All-Region honors.
 Anneliese
Rotering, a 2008 graduate of Falcon High School in Colorado
Springs, Colo., was named to the All-KCAC first team as a defender.
Rotering helped key the
Lady Bulldog defense which shut out four the Bulldogs' final five
regular season opponents to wrap up a third place finish in the
KCAC race.
 Andrea
Swanson, a 2007 graduate of Heritage High School in Littleton,
Colo., was named to the All-KCAC second team after returning at
mid-season from two off-season shoulder surgeries.
In the final 10 matches
of the 2008 regular season, Swanson was credited with 20 saves while
giving up nine goals.
Following the 2007 season,
Swanson was named to the All-KCAC and All-Region IV first team and
received honorable mention NAIA All-American honors. As a freshman,
she was credited with a conference best and school record 10 shut-out
wins while pulling in 99 saves, and giving up a total of 19 goals
in the Lady Bulldogs' 20 matches.
 Haley
Cook, a 2007 graduate of Arapahoe High School, Centennial,
Colo., received second team All-KCAC honors as a forward.
This season, Haley has
moved to the top of two McPherson College career scoring lists with
30 goals and 68 points. Cook was credited with 10 goals, five assists,
and 25 points during the 2008 regular season when she also topped
the Bulldogs with 35 regular season shots on goal.
Cook ranked in the KCAC's
2008 regular season top 10 in points (6th), points per game (6th),
goals (6th), goals per game (6th), assists (10t ), assists per game
(10th), shots (4th), and shots per game (5th).
In 2007, Cook was named
to the All-KCAC first team after breaking the McPherson single season
record for goals with 20 and points scored with 43.
 Nicolette
Rodriguez, a 2006 graduate of Central High School in Keller,
Texas, received honorable mention All-KCAC honors as a defender
after receiving All-KCAC second team honors as a sophomore in 2007.
Rodriguez has started on
the Lady Bulldogs' back line 37 straight matches.
The 2008 Lady Bulldogs
finished the regular season with a 5-3-1 conference record, third
in KCAC. The Bulldogs' nine regular season wins rank second on the
school all-time list for wins in a season.
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