Nov. 6, 2011
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Three Notre Dame women’s soccer players — senior midfielder/tri-captain Courtney Barg (Plano, Texas/Plano West), sophomore midfielder Elizabeth Tucker (Jacksonville, Fla./Bishop Kenny) and senior defender Molly Campbell (Mission Hills, Kan./St. Teresa’s Academy) — have been named Capital One Academic All-District V selections, it was announced Friday afternoon by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA).
Barg and Tucker were chosen as first-team academic all-district honorees (the first citations of both players’ careers), and each now will advance to the national ballot for Academic All-America consideration. Meanwhile, Campbell was a third-team academic all-district selection, marking the third consecutive year she has collected academic all-district recognition (first team in 2009, second team in 2010).
The trio was chosen for district honors through voting by CoSIDA members in their district, which encompasses Indiana, Illinois, Michigan and Ohio. To be nominated, a student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.30 cumulative grade-point average (on a 4.0 scale) at his/her current institution. In addition, nominated student-athletes must have participated in at least 50 percent of the team’s matches at their respective positions.
A preseason selection to the Hermann Trophy watch list, Barg has battled through injuries this season, appearing in 13 matches (including 10 starts). She has three points this year (1G-1A), assisting on classmate and fellow captain Melissa Henderson’s go-ahead goal in the 67th minute at No. 2 Stanford and netted the equalizing goal in the 34th minute against Georgetown on Oct. 14. She has helped Notre Dame to a 10-7-3 record, including a 6-3-2 mark in BIG EAST Conference play and a berth in the conference tournament semifinals for the 15th time in the program’s 17-year BIG EAST membership.
A 2009 National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) first-team All-America selection, as well as the 2009 BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year and a two-time NCAA Women’s College Cup All-Tournament pick (2008, 2010), Barg has been instrumental in leading the Fighting Irish to 78 wins and three College Cup berths in her career, highlighted by the 2010 national championship and 2008 national finalist showing. She currently is enrolled in Notre Dame’s top-ranked Mendoza College of Business, where she is an accounting major and has a 3.612 cumulative GPA, in addition to twice earning dean’s list honors and copping three citations on the BIG EAST All-Academic Team (2009-11).
Tucker has emerged as one of the bright young stars of the Fighting Irish roster in her short time on the Notre Dame campus. The second-year midfielder has started all 20 matches this season (and 42 of 45 in her career), chalking up a goal and career-high five assists, tying for third on the team in that category. Her best statistical outing of the season came on Oct. 16 in a 3-1 win over Villanova at Alumni Stadium, when she assisted on Henderson’s tie-breaking goal with 5:34 left and then scored the clinching goal with 1:20 remaining.
A third-team all-conference and BIG EAST All-Rookie Team selection last year, Tucker presently is enrolled in Notre Dame’s top-ranked Mendoza College of Business, where she is an accounting major and has a perfect 4.000 cumulative GPA, having earned dean’s list honors in both semesters of her freshman year. She also made the 2010-11 BIG EAST All-Academic Team.
Campbell arguably is Notre Dame’s most versatile and durable player, having made 68 career starts at all three field positions. Beginning with last year’s NCAA tournament run, she has been a starting center back for the Fighting Irish, continuing into this season, as she has been in the lineup for all 20 matches, ranking second on the team in minutes played (1,828) while dishing out a career-high-tying three assists. All three of her assists this year have led to clinching scores in Notre Dame home victories — by Henderson vs. Wisconsin (Aug. 19) and DePaul (Oct. 21), and by senior defender-midfielder/tri-captain Jessica Schuveiller vs. Providence (Oct. 2).
Campbell is presently studying in the College of Arts and Letters, where she has recorded a 3.589 cumulative GPA as a political science major. Along with her three academic all-district certificates, Campbell also is a three-time BIG EAST All-Academic Team selection (2009-11).
Notre Dame ranks second all-time with 221 Academic All-Americans since the program’s inception in 1952. What’s more, 95 Fighting Irish student-athletes have earned the Academic All-America distinction during the past 12 years, second-most from any school in the country. The Notre Dame women’s soccer program has produced 24 Academic All-Americans in its history (a national-best 16 since women’s soccer was separated from the at-large Academic All-America program in 2002), including Lauren Fowlkes’ first-team accolades last year.
A full rundown on the history of Notre Dame’s Academic All-America success can be found in the Academic All-America almanac under the “About ND Athletics” pulldown menu on the main page of the official Notre Dame athletics web site (www.UND.com).
Notre Dame is awaiting the announcement of the 64-team 2011 NCAA Championship field at approximately 4:30 p.m. (ET) Monday live on the official NCAA Championships web site (www.ncaa.com). The first four rounds of the tournament are played at campus sites, beginning with first-round matches on Nov. 11, and continuing with second- and third-round contests (Nov. 18-20) and quarterfinal matches (Nov. 25-27). This year’s NCAA Women’s College Cup to be played Dec. 2 & 4 at KSU Soccer Stadium in Kennesaw, Ga.
For more information on the Notre Dame women’s soccer program, join the Fighting Irish women’s soccer news Twitter page (@NDsoccernews) or sign up for the Irish ALERT text-messaging system through the “Fan Center” pulldown menu on the main page at UND.com.
— ND —