AUSTIN, Texas --- Five Tusculum University's student-athletes have been named to the 2022 NCAA Division II Academic All-District 3 Women's Soccer first team as selected by the College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA).
Garnering Academic All-District honors are Peiton Bledsoe, Brianna Garcia, Brianna Oats, Grayson Patterson and Arisa Timoll.
The 2022 Academic All-District® Women's Soccer Teams recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom.
District 3 is comprised of colleges and universities representing the South Atlantic Conference, Peach Belt Conference and Conference Carolinas. To be eligible, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.50 or higher, must be at least a sophomore and played in 50 percent of their team's matches.
Bledsoe, a senior midfielder, appeared in nine games for the Pioneers during the 2022 season, making one start against Alabama Huntsville. She has a 3.96 GPA while majoring in education. She is a two-time recipient of the Division II Athletic Directors Association (D2ADA) Academic Achievement Award. She is also a member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, Athletic Director's Honor Roll, Dean's List, President's List and Charles Oliver Gray Honors List.
The Maryville, Tennessee native has played in 29 career matches for the Pioneers, scoring her lone goal against Lincoln Memorial during the 2020-21 spring season.
Garcia, a senior forward from Acworth, Georgia, has a 3.53 GPA, while majoring in biology. She is a member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, Athletic Director's Honor Roll, Dean's List and Charles Oliver Gray Honors List. She also earned the D2ADA Academic Achievement Award on two occasions.
The 2022 All-SAC third team honoree started in 17 matches for the Pioneers and tallied six goals and five assists for 17 points this season. Her 17 points are tied for ninth-most in the SAC, while her six goals are tied for 11th-most in the league. Garcia was named United Soccer Coaches Division II National Player of the Week after collecting two goals and an assist in a 3-2 win over West Alabama. She has tallied 13 goals and 11 assists for 37 points in 61 career matches for the Pioneers, including 55 starts.
Patterson, a junior goalkeeper from Maryville, Tennessee, boasts a 3.89 GPA while majoring in English. She is a member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, Athletic Director's Honor Roll, Dean's List, President's List and Charles Oliver Gray Honors List. Last year, she was the recipient of the D2ADA Academic Achievement Award.
Patterson started all 18 matches in goal for the Pioneers and compiled a 9-4-5 record with a 1.12 goals against average and a .789 save percentage. She is ranked fifth in the SAC in save percentage and seventh in save percentage, while her seven shutouts were tied for fourth-most in the league. Patterson, who had shutouts in four of the Pioneers' final six regular-season matches, has a career 9-7-5 record and 1.39 goals against average in 21 starts spanning three season at Tusculum. She was named the SAC Defensive Player of the Week on two occasions in 2022.
Oats, a graduate student from Wellington, Florida, is completing her MBA at Tusculum after earning her cum laude honor last year with her undergraduate degree criminal justice. She is a member of the Athletic Director's Honor Roll, Dean's List, Charles Oliver Gray Honors List and the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll. She was a two-time honoree of the D2ADA Academic Achievement Award.
Oats played in 13 matches off the bench for the Pioneers during the 2022 season, and has appeared in 28 matches spanning three seasons. She earned an assist in a win over Asbury during the 2021 season.
Timoll, a senior defender from Courtice, Ontario, is majoring in biology and pre-medicine where she has a 3.93 GPA. The two-time D2ADA Academic Achievement Award recipient is also a member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, President's List, Dean's List, Charles Oliver Gray Honors List and the Tusculum Athletic Director's Honor Roll.
Timoll started 16 matches for the Pioneers during the 2022 season on defense, giving her 38 starts across the last three seasons. With Timoll in the lineup, the Pioneers allowed one goal or less in 11 matches this season.
The Pioneers posted a six-win improvement from last season as Tusculum ended the year with a 9-4-5 record and earned a berth to the SAC Quarterfinal. In its final nine regular-seasons matches, TU went 5-0-4.
The CSC Academic All-America® program separately recognizes soccer honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA. Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. First, second and third team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced in December.
The Division II and III CSC Academic All-America® programs are partially financially supported by the NCAA Division II and III national governance structures to assist CSC with handling the awards fulfillment aspects for the 2022-2023 Divisions II and III Academic All-America® programs.
