Harris named third team academic all-America
FAYETTEVILLE – Junior Allison Harris of the University of Arkansas Lady Razorback soccer team was named ESPN The Magazine third-team academic all-America by the College Sports Information Directors of America.
Harris, a three-year starter with the Arkansas soccer team at central defender returned to the field in 2006 after missing most of the 2005 campaign to knee surgery. She was instrumental in Arkansas’ rise on both the conference and national scene and has been a steady force for the Lady Razorbacks despite a young squad on the field.
“Absolutely outstanding,” Arkansas head coach Gordon Henderson said. “To go through the challenging course of study that she has been through for four years and have straight A’s, enough said. This is well deserved. Allison is the very definition of student-athlete and represents everything that the SEC and NCAA stand for. She is an integral part of our soccer team that prioritizes its education and we are very proud of our team GPA of 3.51 last semester.”
A three-time academic all-district selection, Harris earned her first academic all-America honor and is just the second Lady Razorback to be tabbed as an academic all-American. Former Lady’Back Julie Williford was the first in her senior season of 2003.
Harris has maintained a perfect 4.0 grade point average in psychology over the past three years and is on her way to a seventh consecutive semester this fall. She has been named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll two times and is a fixture on the Women’s Athletic Department Academic Champions list.
To be eligible for the ESPN The Magazine Academic all-America program, student-athletes must earn a 3.20 GPA and be a significant contributor on the field of play. Nominees are then voted on by the CoSIDA membership for inclusion on the all-district teams and only the top 11 from each of the nine districts are eligible for academic all-America.
For more information about Lady Razorback soccer or about Arkansas women’s athletics, please go to LADYBACKS.com.
