Six MCLA Women’s Soccer Players Earn CSC Academic All-District Honors

NORTH ADAMS, Mass.— Senior Midfielder Allie Bayer (Boring, OR), senior midfielder Lauren Kimball (Crown Point, NY), senior back Kaylee Strayer (Lancaster, OH), junior midfielder Gwendolyn Duggan (Palmer, MA), junior back Tia Kareh (Adams, MA), and sophomore goalie Mallory Amirian (Haverhill, MA) have earned All-District recognition by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-American program.

This was the second CSC Academic All-American program designation for Kimball, Strayer, Duggan, and Kareh and the first for Amirian. They join three Men's Soccer team members who earned the honor this fall, and follow 30 athletes from the 2023-24 & 2024-25 school years. Prior to 2023, no MCLA athlete had been honored by CSC since 2019, when softball outfielder Kaitlyn Berghela was named to the Academic All-American Division III third team.

Bayer is part of the team's leadership group and the student trustee representing the student body to the MCLA Board of Trustees. This season she tallied her first career goal as part of MCLA's 5-1 win over Fisher College and provided an assist in the Traiblazers' 4-1 win over MASCAC foe Framingham State. Bayer was a four-year member of the women's soccer program and will graduate in the spring with a degree in political science.

Strayer was the rock in the backfield for MCLA. For the second season in a row, she was the only Trailblazer to play every minute of every game and was one of only three players to start all 17 games. She is a three-year member of the program and will graduate this fall with a degree in computer science.

Kimball played for two years at Wells College before transferring into the MCLA program last fall. Known for her grit on and off the field, she let opponents know when she was in the area and was dangerous with the ball on her foot. Kimball was fourth on the team with four points (1 goal & 2 assists). She played in all 17 of the Trailblazers' games, starting 16. Kimball is a double major in Education and English who will graduate this spring.

Duggan continued her role as Trailblazers' primary ball distributor, finishing the season with a conference-leading nine assists and recording a team-high 15 points (3 goals & 9 assists). During the Fisher game, she played a role in all five of MCLA's goals in a 5-1 win, scoring twice and assisting on the other three. She played in all 17 of the Trailblazers' games, starting 16. Duggan is a three-year member of the soccer program and is majoring in health sciences with a concentration in nutrition.

Kareh was MCLA's versatile blend of offense and defense, contributing throughout the field. Playing in 16 of MCLA's games, starting 14. The back recorded a key assist in the Trailblazers' 2-2 tie against SUNY Poly. The third year back is majoring in business.

Completing the MCLA contingent, Amirian led the team with 76 saves and a .776 save percentage over 855 minutes. She recorded double-digit saves twice in games in which she played only a half, stopping 11 shots against Wentworth and Worcester State. The sophomore also had a six-save shutout over MASCAC foe Anna Maria College. The two-year member of the women's soccer program is majoring in English with a concentration in Literature.

Per the College Sports Communicators (previously known as COSIDA) website, the Academic All-American is a title reserved for college student-athletes who perform at an elite level in their chosen sport and in the classroom. The all-time list of 44,000+ Academic All-Americans includes major sports stars and some of the world's most accomplished individuals in medicine, business, science, and the arts. Established in 1952 and selected by College Sports Communicators, Academic All-America is the longest-running and premier award for athletic and academic success across championship college sports at all NCAA levels, the NAIA, two-year colleges, and Canadian institutions. Teams are announced year-round and amplified by CSC member colleges, universities, and conferences on a wide local, regional, national, and even international scope.

To be eligible for consideration, student-athletes must demonstrate the best traits of a student-athlete, both on and off the playing field. Among the requirements are:

• Outstanding student-athletes are nominated for Academic All-District® recognition by communications directors and must have a minimum 3.50 GPA and meet high athletic standards. (over 30,000 nominations annually)
• A select group of student-athletes advances to the national ballot, where CSC members vote on Academic All-America teams. (approximately 2,000 selections annually)
• An Academic All-American Team Member of the Year is selected in each sport and division. (66 recipients)
• An Overall Academic All-American of the Year is selected as the top student-athlete across all sports in each NCAA and NAIA division. (4 recipients)

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