A little more than a month removed from its most successful season in program history, Idaho soccer isn’t done collecting accolades.
The Vandals received the Women’s Team Academic Award from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America earlier this week.
“It’s testament to the hard work the girls put in off the pitch and it complements what they do on the pitch,” coach Pete Showler said. “Their studious habits are the reason that they get recognized at the national level as a team.”
The program was one of 571 women’s collegiate athletic programs across the country to win the award. The team’s 3.46 collective GPA was the highest in the WAC.
“They’re a very supportive group as a team on the academic side,” Showler said. “You’re always proud as a coach when they match their endeavors off the pitch with those on, giving full testament to the term, ‘student-athlete.'”
The Vandals ended their 2011 season with a run to the semi-finals of the WAC tournament, their deepest run in program history, falling 1-0 to eventual conference champions Utah State.
Idaho will return every starter who played in the conference tournament, highlighted by leading goal scorer Chelsea Small, midfielder Jill Flockhart and the captain defender Lauren Layton, all of whom will be seniors.
The women hit the pitch in the spring for an exhibition schedule, barring NCAA stipulations that will cancel such competitions.