Sept. 3, 2015
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Thirty NCAA women’s soccer student-athletes were selected as candidates for the 2015 Senior CLASS Award, with Irish captain Cari Roccaro included among the elite group.
To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition.
Roccaro is a two-time Fighting Irish captain, who has built an impressive resume that has featured significant U.S. National Team program experience having been part of the 2012 FIFA U-20 Women’s World Cup Championship squad. A three-time preseason MAC Hermann Trophy candidate, Roccaro has led the Irish to NCAA Championship berths in each of her previous three seasons and has anchored a backline that has allowed just five shots in four games in 2015. She is a three-time first-team all-conference player and was named the BIG EAST Rookie of the Year in 2012.
Off the field, Roccaro sports a 3.565 GPA and is majoring in sociology. She has been recognized by the NSCAA with numerous academic nods, including a third team Scholar All-American citation and first Scholar All-North/Central Region selection in 2014. She was a two-time participant in Notre Dame’s Rosenthal Leadership Academy (2012-13 and 2013-14) and has taken part in the athletic department’s Pediatric Christmas Party and the team’s Adopt A Family initiative, as well as been active with the South Bend Center for the Homeless, Grassroots Soccer, Habitat for Humanity and Hoop-A-Thon.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
The candidate pool will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be place on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition.
The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2015 NCAA Men’s and Women’s College Cup championships in December.
For more information on the Fighting Irish women’s soccer program, follow Notre Dame on Twitter (@NDsoccer), like the Fighting Irish on Facebook (facebook.com/NDWomenSoccer) or sign up for the Irish ALERT text-messaging system through the “Fan Center” pulldown menu on the main page at UND.com.
Season and single game tickets for Notre Dame women’s soccer are on sale now. Visit UND.com/tickets or call the Murnane Family Ticket Office at 574-631-7356.
Women’s Soccer Senior CLASS Award Candidates
Kristi Abbate, George Washington
Tara Ballay, Rider
Sierra Bonham, North Dakota
Ashley Campbell, Dayton
Caroline Casey, William & Mary
Jess Coates, Nicholls State
Janae Cousineau, Texas A&M
Kelly Culicerto, Marshall
Caroline Dwyer, Pennsylvania
Claire Emslie, Florida Atlantic
Cali Farquharson, Arizona State
Jackie Hall, Buffalo
Amanda Hill, West Virginia
Katie Holder, Army West Point
Jacie Jermier, Marquette
Elise Krieghoff, Cal Poly
Laura Liedle, Stanford
Livi Logan-Wood, Saint Louis
Blake Martin, Houston Baptist
Madison Mercado, Oklahoma State
Paige Nielsen, North Carolina
Madison Oyer, Ball State
Brianne Reed, Rutgers
Cari Roccaro, Notre Dame
Isabella Schmid, Florida State
Erica Skroski, Rutgers
Abby Smith, Texas
Allie Stephenson, Oklahoma State
Nicole Waters, Dayton
Rebecca Wilson, Cal State Fullerton
-ND-