Dunnigan Named SLC Student-Athlete of the Year
12/9/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Soccer
Complete SLC All-Academic Teams
FRISCO, Texas – Stephen F. Austin junior defender Brooke Dunnigan has been named the 2015 Southland Conference Women’s Soccer Student-Athlete of the Year, the league office announced on Wednesday morning in conjunction with the release of the all-academic teams.
The Ladyjacks placed a league-best six student-athletes on the all-academic teams overall. Junior midfielder Amanda Doyle and redshirt sophomore Carolina Orsi joined Dunnigan on the first team while junior defender Kelly Ann Craig, redshirt sophomore goalkeeper Lillie Ehlert and senior midfielder Rachel Owens were voted to the second team.
Dunnigan, Doyle and Owens each crack the academic list for the second time in their careers. Dunnigan also becomes the second straight SFA player to collect the SLC Student-Athlete of the Year award after goalkeeper Morgan Glick earned the prestigious accolade for the Ladyjacks in 2014.
A native of Round Rock, Texas (Vista Ridge HS), Dunnigan led SFA to an 8-1-2 record in Southland Conference play and the program’s fifth consecutive league title during the 2015 season. She anchored a Ladyjack back line that ranked first in the SLC in goals allowed (5), goals against average (0.43) and shutouts (6) during the conference slate and was named to the 2015 All-SLC First Team at the conclusion of the year. She started all 19 games for the Ladyjacks and was the only SFA player to play every single minute of the season.
Also garnering spots on the NSCAA All-Central Region Third Team and SLC All-Tournament Team in 2015, Dunnigan boasts a 3.92 GPA as a food and nutrition dietetics major. She earns a place on the SLC All-Academic First Team for the second straight season for her efforts in the classroom.
A First Team All-Conference pick and the SLC Player of the Year, Doyle had a breakout season for the Ladyjacks in 2015. She ended the year ranked third in the SLC in goals (7), fourth in points (17) and game-winning goals (2), and fifth in assists (3) during league play. Last week, she was tabbed Second Team NSCAA All-Central Region. While it is her first appearance on the league’s academic first team, the Carrollton, Texas product was named to the second squad last year. She currently owns a 3.57 GPA as a kinesiology major.
Making her first appearance on the all-academic squad, Orsi holds a perfect 4.00 GPA while majoring in kinesiology. She was selected to the 2015 Capital One Academic All-District Seven First Team as announced by CoSIDA on Oct. 29. The College Station native played in 12 games for the Ladyjacks during the 2014 campaign.
Owens returns to the academic second team after accomplishing the feat as a sophomore in 2013. A 2015 Second Team All-SLC pick, the senior captain scored three goals and had one assist this past year. She notched game-winners against ULM and Lamar and converted a penalty kick late against McNeese to force overtime. Owens, who hails from Houston, has a 3.57 GPA and is set to get her degree in mass media later this month.
Ehlert helped the Ladyjacks become one of the best defensive units in the league once again this year. The 2015 Second Team All-SLC keeper ranked first in the league in goals against average (0.46) and save percentage (.900) during conference play. A Pflugerville, Texas native, Ehlert currently owns a 3.88 GPA in pre-nursing.
Craig rounds out SFA’s academic selections with her first career spot on the second team. A geology major with a 3.71 GPA, Craig was a 2015 Honorable Mention All-SLC member after contributing to the Ladyjacks’ stingy back line and chipping in two assists during the season. The Houston native was named the SLC Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 20.
The Southland Conference awards committee, which consists of one administrator from each of the 13 member universities, voted for the student-athlete of the year. The Southland student-athlete of the year award is presented to the one student-athlete who achieves excellence in both academics and athletics. All nominees shall have earned at least a 3.2 GPA on a 4.0 scale, and demonstrated athletics achievement for at least two years at the nominating institution.
The All-Academic teams are voted on by the head coaches, sports information directors and academic advisors from each Southland Conference university. Student-athletes must possess a 3.0 cumulative GPA, have completed one full academic year at the nominating institution and participated in at least 50 percent of the team's competition to qualify for the all-academic squad.
Both Dunnigan and Doyle were automatic selections to the all-academic first team after gaining All-SLC First Team recognition following the regular season. Additionally, Orsi was an automatic pick thanks to her academic all-district honors earlier in the year. In total, nine student-athletes were automatic selections to the first team. Three remaining spots were voted on for the first team and the second unit was comprised of 10 players.
SFA Women’s Soccer SLC All-Academic Team Selections
First Team
Amanda Doyle – 3.57 GPA (Kinesiology)*^
Brooke Dunnigan – 3.92 GPA (Food and Nutrition Dietetics)*^!
Carolina Orsi – 4.00 GPA (Kinesiology)*
Second Team
Kelly Ann Craig – 3.71 GPA (Geology)
Lillie Ehlert – 3.88 GPA (Pre-Nursing)
Rachel Owens – 3.57 GPA (Mass Media)^
* – Automatic Selection
^ – Two-Time Selection
! – SLC Student-Athlete of the Year
-SFA-
