UVA’s Alexa Spaanstra named ACC Women’s Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year

Junior forward Alexa Spaanstra has been named the ACC Women’s Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year and leads a group of seven players named to the Women’s Soccer All-ACC Academic Team.

Spaanstra is the second women’s soccer player from Virginia to earn Women’s Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors as she joins Makenzy Doniak who earned the distinction for the 2015 season.

Spaanstra is pursuing a degree in psychology and was tabbed a first-team All-ACC selection and a first-team All-Region selection by the United Soccer Coaches. She also earned second-team Scholar All-America honors from the United Soccer Coaches and first-team Scholar All-Region honors. She helped Virginia advance to the College Cup with 10 goals, including four game-winning goals, as she started all 18 games played.

Joining Spaanstra on the Women’s Soccer All-ACC Academic Team are seniors Laurel Ivory and Taryn Torres, junior Rebecca Jarrett, sophomore Diana Ordoñez, and freshmen Lia Godfrey and Samar Guidry.

Ivory, Jarrett and Spaanstra all earn All-Academic honors for the third time, while Torres earned the selection for the second time. Godfrey, Guidry and Ordoñez are all first-time honorees.

The ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards were established in September of 2007 to be awarded annually to the top junior or senior student-athlete in their respective sports. Candidates for the awards must have maintained a 3.0 grade point average for their careers, as well as a 3.0 for each of the last two semesters.

To be nominated for the All-ACC Academic team, student-athletes must have recorded a minimum of a 3.0 grade point average in the previous semester and have maintained a 3.0 career GPA at their respective schools. Athletic achievements during the most recent season are also considered in selecting the All-ACC Rowing Academic team.