March 28, 2001
Two members of the 2000 Notre Dame women’s soccer team-senior forward Meotis Erikson (Kennewick, Wash.) and sophomore defender Vanessa Pruzinsky (Trumbull, Conn.)-have been named to the 10-member Verizon/CoSIDA Women’s Academic All-District Five At-Large Team for fall and winter sports, as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
Both players now advance to the Academic All-America ballot for women’s fall and winter at-large sports, with that team to be announced on April 19 (the team recognizes nominees from nine sports: cross country, fencing, field hockey, gymnastics, ice hockey, rifle, skiing, soccer and swimming).
Pruzinsky has posted a 4.0 grade-point average in each of her three semesters at Notre Dame while pursuing a degree in chemical engineering. She earned second team all-BIG EAST Conference and second team all-region honors after helping the 2000 Irish squad lead the nation with an 0.39 season goals-against average (10 total goals allowed, 16 shutouts). A starter in all 51 games of her Notre Dame career, Pruzinsky helped the Irish hold their 2000 opponents to an average of three shots on goal per game with the team trailing just twice all season for a total of 35 minutes.
Erikson-who owns a 3.57 cumulative grade-point average as a film, television and theatre major-also earned second team all-BIG EAST Conference and second team all-region honors after ranking as Notre Dame’s second-leading scorer in the 2000 season (13 goals-13 assists), behind national player of the year Anne Makinen. Erikson tied the Notre Dame record for career games played (101) and ranks seventh on the Irish career scoring list with 164 points (59G-46A), including points in 10 of her final 12 games. She helped Notre Dame compile an 88-9-4 record (.891) from 1997-2000 and scored the overtime game-winner vs. Santa Clara in the 2000 NCAA quarterfinals before being named to the NCAA all-tournament team.