AUSTIN, Texas --- Four Tusculum University student-athletes have been named to the 2023 NCAA Division II Academic All-District® 3 Women's Soccer team as selected by the College Sports Communicators (formerly CoSIDA).
Earning Academic All-District® honors for the Pioneers are: Wilma Axelsson, Marja Enste, Sydney Grant and Grayson Patterson.
The 2023 Academic All-District® Men'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 90 percent of their team's matches or start in 67 percent of their team's contests.
Axelsson, a sophomore midfielder from Ytterby, Sweden, has a 3.84 GPA and is majoring in business administration. She is a member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, Dean's List and Tusculum Athletic Director's Honor Roll. In 2023, she started in 14 of the 15 matches she played in where she recorded an assist and attempted two shots on goal.
Enste, a sophomore defender from Aachen, Germany, has a 4.00 GPA while majoring in sport management. She is a member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, Dean's List, Charles Oliver Gray Honors List at the AD Honor Roll. Last year, she was named the recipient of the Tusculum Freshman of the Year Academic Award. She has started in all 34 of her career matches including 16 this season. She was credited with three assists this year, giving her seven for her collegiate career.
Grant, a sophomore forward from Schaumburg, Illinois, has a 3.65 GPA and is a double major in criminal justice and psychology. She is a member of the AD Honor Roll, SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, Dean's List and Charles Oliver Gray Honors List. She was Tusculum's leading scorer this season and earned All-SAC second team accolades. She posted four goals and three assists for her 11 points. She accounted for two match-winning goals in 2023.
Patterson, a senior goalkeeper from Maryville, Tennessee, is an English major with a 3.91 GPA. She is a member of the SAC Commissioner's Honor Roll, Dean's List, AD Honor Roll and Charles Oliver Gray Honors List. She is a two-time recipient of the Division II Athletic Directors Association Academic Achievement Award. She started in 15 matches in goal where she recorded 81 saves, two shutouts and finished with a 2.33 goals against average in her 1,238 minutes of action.
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 2023-2024 Divisions II and III Academic All-America® programs.
