Nov. 17, 2009

• Complete teams and CoSIDA release

GREENSBORO, N.C. – Four Atlantic Coast Conference student-athletes were named to 2009 ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America as selected by CoSIDA Women’s Soccer Team on Tuesday.

North Carolina senior defender Kristi Eveland was named to the first team for the second year in a row. UNC senior defender Whitney Engen and senior goalkeeper Ashlyn Harris were second team selections, while Florida State senior midfielder/defender Becky Edwards was named to the third team.

Eveland, a senior business administration major, was selected for the first team for the second year in a row. She has been nominated for the team each of the past three years. Engen and Harris, also seniors, were nominated for the team for the first time this year and made the second-team All-America squad on their first nominations.

A business administration major, Eveland is a four-year starter for the Tar Heels, who have a 19-3-1 record this season. She has helped the Carolina defense post 16 shutouts in 2009 while allowing only 10 goals in 23 games. A native of Southlake, Texas, she helped guide North Carolina to its 20th Atlantic Coast Conference Tournament championship earlier this month.

Her defensive line-mates, Engen (Rolling Hills Estates, Calif.) and Harris (Satellite Beach, Fla.), were both named to the second-team Academic All-America Team. Both Engen and Harris joined Eveland as members of the ACC Championship All-Tournament Team in 2009 as part of a UNC defense that posted three shutouts in the event. Harris and Engen were both named first-team All-ACC in 2009, and Engen was honored as the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. Harris is a member of the full U.S. National Team and missed two games this fall training with the team. Harris currently ranks third in the nation in goalkeepers goals against average at 0.40. As a team, UNC ranks fourth nationally in goal allowed per game this season at 0.423.

In her career, Eveland has played in 103 games and started 100 of them, while Engen has played in 101 games and started 99. During their careers, Eveland, Harris and Engen have led a defense that has allowed only 54 goals in four years while the Tar Heels have compiled a 90-9-4 record. The trio of UNC defensive standouts has started for two national championship teams at Carolina while winning four ACC Championship titles and three ACC regular-season championships.

The North Carolina women’s soccer program has now had 20 selections to the Academic All-America Teams since 1983 and 13 selections in the past five years alone.

Florida State’s Edwards becomes the first Seminole soccer player to be recognized as an Academic All-American at the national level. The Downingtown, Pa., native has been honored three times as an Academic All-District honoree by CoSIDA and ESPN the Magazine, earning first team distinction in 2007 and 2009, while being named to the second team in 2008.

Edwards has started every game for FSU in 2009 and is in the midst of a career season in her final year with the Seminoles. The senior midfielder/defender ranks third on the team in points with 18 tallying five goals and eight assists, helping earning first-team All-ACC honors and helping FSU to a share of the regular-season ACC regular-season championship and a No. 1 national seed in the NCAA Tournament. Edwards, who is majoring in marketing, is a five-time member of the Dean's List at Florida State, while earning President’s List honors following the fall 2008 semester. She is a three-time member of both the All-ACC Academic Team and ACC Academic Honor Roll.