Harris Patterson earn SEC soccer honors

FAYETTEVILLE – Senior Allison Harris and junior Lindsay Patterson of the University of Arkansas Lady Razorback soccer team were each named second-team all-Southeastern Conference as determined by the league office in Birmingham, Ala., on Tuesday evening. Harris was also acknowledged as the SEC’s Scholar-Athlete of the Year when the conference released its post-season honors.

The honors for Harris and Patterson are the first in their careers and make them the 11th and 12th players in Arkansas history to garner all-SEC recognition. The two all-SEC players are also the first duo to take all-conference honors in the same season since 1996 when the SEC Western Division Champion Lady Razorbacks placed two players on the second team.

“This is a tremendous honor for both Allison and Lindsay,” Arkansas head coach Gordon Henderson said. “I believe that getting two people on the all-SEC teams shows these women great respect for what they did this year. Our two second-team players were more than four other schools in the conference including one who made the SEC Tournament. The one thing that I was very proud of was that we were in each and every match that we played this fall. These two young women are a major reason why that was and I applaud their efforts and those of their teammates who made this possible.”

Harris was an integral part of the Lady Razorback defense her entire career which spanned five seasons. She ended her career last weekend tied for fifth on Arkansas’ all-time list for games played and second on the games started charts. Her 78 matches played and started were one behind former Lady’Back midfielder Holly Collins (79) for the Arkansas record for games started in a career. Not just a defensive presence at center back, Harris was also a scoring threat at times with a powerful kick from distance that contributed to her three career goals and nine assists for 15 points.

In the classroom, Harris has been a model student her entire career. She has maintained a 4.0 grade point average for eight semesters and is poised to make it nine when she finishes her psychology degree in December. Her perfect GPA throughout her career makes her the first Lady Razorback soccer player to accomplish the task. She was a third-team ESPN The Magazine academic all-American during the 2006 season and a three-time first-team ESPN The Magazine academic all-district VI selection. Harris’ SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year award also makes her the first Lady Razorback soccer player to earn the distinction and just the fourth Lady Razorback in any sport.

Patterson’s accomplishments on the field began last fall but blossomed in 2007. She was Arkansas’ second-leading scorer for the past two seasons and in 2007 scored six goals and two assists for 14 points. She was also tied for the team lead in every offensive category in SEC play. Patterson was a focal point of the Lady Razorback attack throughout the fall and was consistently double-teamed in conference play. Her ability to hold the ball in the offensive third of the field contributed to numerous Lady Razorback scoring opportunities.

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