Women's Soccer Quartet Named Academic All-District
11/15/2022 1:29:00 PM | Women's Soccer
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Seniors Hannah Blake and Emily Leyson, junior Sarah Bridenstine and sophomore Avery Kalitta of the University of Michigan women's soccer team were named to the 2022 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District team, the association announced Tuesday (Nov. 15).
The Michigan foursome earned all-district honors for the first time in their careers. The group is now eligible for selection to the Academic All-America teams that will be announced at the end of November.
A Big Ten Preseason Player to Watch, Blake also was a Big Ten Distinguished Scholar in 2022. A two-time Academic All-Big Ten honoree, she played in 14 matches this past year with eight starts after missing time due to New Zealand national team duty.
Leyson is a 2022 Big Ten Distinguished Scholar and a member of the Academic All-Big Ten team in 2020 and 2021. A nursing major, she will graduate from Michigan in May after playing in 50 matches with 28 starts in her Wolverine career.
Bridenstine, named academic All-Big Ten in 2021, was most recently treated with Big Ten Distinguished Scholar honors during the 2022 season. She was one of U-M's most consistent contributors on the campaign, playing a team-high 1,534 minutes to go along with starting nods in eighteen matches. Her three goals and two assists (eight points) led all Wolverine defenders.
Kalitta was a mainstay at holding midfield for head coach Jennifer Klein and logged 1,355 minutes of match time with 18 starting nods. She registered a goal at Toledo (Sept. 11), which proved to be the match-winner. A Big Ten Sportsmanship Award winner in 2022 and Preseason Player to Watch, she also was named to the Big Ten All-Freshman team in 2021.
To be eligible, nominated student-athletes must be a starter or important reserve with a minimum 3.50 cumulative grade-point average in their second year at the current institution and must have played in at least 50 percent of the team's games.
