TOWSON, Md. --- Tusculum College defender Nicole Ferris has been named to the 2008 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America® College Division Women's Soccer Third Team, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).

Ferris, a senior from Lebanon, Ohio, becomes the second Tusculum women's soccer player to earn this prestigious honor and the ninth TC student-athlete overall.

Ferris, a three-time Academic All-District selection, has a 3.87 cumulative grade point average while majoring in Sport Management. She was named to the Daktronics NCAA Division II All-Southeast Region Second Team and the All-South Atlantic Conference Second Team. Ferris was also the 2008 recipient of the SAC Scholar Athlete Award, earning this honor for a second straight year.

In 2008, she started in all 20 matches where she posted one goal and seven assists for her nine total points. Her lone goal this year was the match-winner in a 2-1 Tusculum win over seventh-ranked Columbus State. Ferris' seven helpers were tied for second most on the team.

During her collegiate career, she started in all 82 matches she appeared in. Her 82 starts are the fourth most in school history and her 82 matches played are tied for fifth. Ferris' 13 career assists are tied for the ninth most ever by a Pioneer.

Ferris was the 2006 Tusculum Academic Freshman of the Year and is a member of the Alpha Chi Honor Society as well as the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll and the Tusculum Athletic Director's Honor Roll.

She helped guide the Pioneers to four-straight winning seasons, including three trips to the NCAA Division II Tournament.

To be eligible, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.30 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director. Since the program's inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America® honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA covering all NCAA championship sports.

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