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Several athletes named to All-MAC academic teams

January 5, 2015
Alex Elias

Alex Elias

On the heels of last fall’s first trip to the Mid-American Conference Tournament Semifinals since 2007, the Northern Illinois University women’s soccer team has been recognized for its success in the classroom.

Nine Huskies were named to the 2014 Women’s Soccer Academic All-MAC Team, the league announced Monday.

Meanwhile, three members of the NIU cross country squad also earned accolades from the conference for their scholarly achievements.

To be eligible for this prestigious recognition, the student-athletes had to maintain above a 3.2 grade-point average while playing in more than half of their team’s games or races.

“We are so proud of all our players to receive this recognition. It’s always nice to see them honored for all of the time and effort they put in both on the field and in the classroom,” NIU women’s soccer head coach John Ross said. “It really shows what type of people we have representing our program and how hard they are willing to work.”

The nine Huskies to be named to the 2014 Women’s Soccer Academic All-MAC Team are:

Sophomore defender Elias (Phoenix, Ariz./Boulder Creek) was one of seven selections in the entire conference with a perfect 4.0 GPA. In October, she was named NIU”s first CoSIDA Academic All-District Team member since 2009.

The nine Huskies named to the Women’s Soccer Academic All-MAC Team marks an NIU school record, beating the previous team record of three honorees. The league changed the rules this year so that all eligible student-athletes are honored now for academic teams instead of just a select few.

NIU women’s soccer finished the 2014 season with a 6-11-4 record and advanced to the final four of the conference tournament for the first time since 2007 after upsetting No. 2 seed Miami on penalty kicks in the quarterfinal matchup.

Ali Olson

Ali Olson

Runners named to the 2014 Women’s Cross Country Academic All-MAC Team are:

Pederson was one of just three women’s cross country student-athletes in the entire conference to be selected for the distinguished team while maintaining a perfect 4.0 GPA.

Pederson and Perkins ran in every race for NIU this season, while Olson ran in four events as the trio helped the Huskies record their best team finish (9th) at the MAC Championships since 2009.

The three Huskies named to the Women’s Cross Country Academic All-MAC Team marks an NIU record, topping the previous team best of two honorees. The league changed the rules this year so that all eligible student-athletes are honored now for academic teams instead of just a select few.

For more information on NIU athletics, visit www.niuhuskies.com.