Harris earns academic all-district honor

FAYETTEVILLE – Senior Allison Harris of the University of Arkansas Lady Razorback soccer team was named first-team ESPN The Magazine Academic all-District VI and is eligible for her second academic all-America honor.

Harris is a 4.0 student in psychology at the University and was recently named the Southeastern Conference’s soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year. Her ESPN The Magazine all-district award is the fourth for the fifth-year senior and places her on the ballot for academic all-America honors, a distinction she was awarded in 2006.

“Allison is a tremendous student,” Arkansas head coach Gordon Henderson said. “She has never received a grade less than an ‘A’ in grade school, middle school, high school or college. She has also been the backbone of our defense her entire career and truly represents the best that a student-athlete is at the college level. She is a wonderful representative of the University of Arkansas and of the soccer program.”

One of the most decorated student-athletes when it comes to academics in Lady Razorback history, Harris is the first soccer player to maintain a perfect 4.0 grade point average through eight semesters of class work. She is currently on her way to a ninth semester of unblemished work and plans to continue her education with work toward a master’s degree in psychology in the spring.

On the soccer pitch, Harris played and started 78 matches for the Lady Razorbacks over a five-year span. Those totals place her second on Arkansas’ all-time charts for games started and tied for fifth in games played. She scored three goals and added nine assists for 15 points and became the 11th Lady Razorback in school history to earn all-SEC honors when she was named to the second team earlier in the week.

Harris was voted onto the first team by members of the College Sports Information Directors of America and was placed on a ballot with student-athletes that represented schools in Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, New Mexico, Oklahoma and Texas. Her first team nomination now places her on a national ballot with other first-team award winners from the eight districts.

For more information about Lady Razorback soccer or about Arkansas women’s athletics, please go to www.ladybacks.com.