RMAC All-Academic Women's Soccer Teams

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. — Ten members of the Fort Lewis College women's soccer team earned Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference All-Academic accolades, RMAC Assistant Commissioner Eric Danner announced today.

Three Skyhawks — Midfielder Sara Egbom, forward Hayley Hollenga, and midfielder/forward Megan Striedel — were named to the RMAC All-Academic first team.

Three others — forward Emma Cannis, midfielder/defender Serena Mancha, and defender Madyson Wellcome — were named to the RMAC All-Academic second team.

And four more players — midfielder Jane Barden, midfielder Shea Haycock, midfielder Allison Knewitz, and goalkeeper Amanda Raso — received RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll distinction.

“We are always proud of our girls who can find the balance between academics and athletics,” said fifth-year FLC head coach Damian Clarke. “We ask a lot of these ladies and they continue to impress us all both on and off the field. The time management skills they master now will help them tremendously in the real world.”

Egbom, a fifth-year senior from Hope Christian High School in Albuquerque, N.M., carries a 3.70 grade point average in Accounting. She earned RMAC All-Academic first team honors for the second straight season after being named to the Honor Roll in 2009. She ranks among FLC career leaders in assists (fourth, 16), scoring (sixth, 52 points), and goals (seventh, 18). Egbom earned RMAC Freshman of the Year and first team All-RMAC honors in 2007. As a junior in 2010, she was an All-Central Region performer (chosen to the Daktronics second team and the NSCAA third team), a CoSIDA/ESPN Academic All-District VII second team pick, and an All-RMAC second team selection. She has tallied five assists thus far in 2011.

Hollenga, a fifth-year senior from Air Academy High School in Colorado Springs, Colo., maintains a 3.37 GPA in Business Administration-Management. Like Egbom, she repeated on the RMAC All-Academic first team this year and was an Honor Roll performer as a sophomore in 2009. Recently, Hollenga was chosen as the RMAC Athlete of the Month for September, the RMAC Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 6, and named to the Preseason All-RMAC squad. As a junior in 2010, she earned NSCAA second team All-America accolades, was named to the All-Central Region first teams by both the NSCAA and Daktronics, earned first team All-RMAC honors, and appeared in ESPN's “Faces in the Crowd.” She earned third team All-Central Region and third team All-RMAC distinction as a sophomore in 2009.

Hollenga is FLC's career leader in scoring (102 points), goals (38), and assists (26). She was named to FLC's All-Century Team, which featured the 100 top athletes, coaches, and administrators in school history, just last month. She's also played on six FLC teams that have qualified for NCAA playoffs — three each in soccer and basketball.

Striedel, a sophomore from Red Mountain High School in Mesa, Ariz., carries a 3.98 GPA in Exercise Science-Physiology. She ranks fourth on the team in scoring this season with 10 points on four goals and two assists. During her two-year career, Striedel has scored 22 total points (nine goals, four assists).

Cannis, a sophomore from Gilbert High School in Gilbert, Ariz., maintains a 3.51 GPA in Business Administration-Tourism & Hospitality Management. She was previously named to the 2010 RMAC All-Tournament Team. She currently leads the Skyhawks in scoring in 2011 with 17 points on six goals and five assists and earlier had a seven-game point streak this year. During her two-year career, Cannis has notched 33 total points on 13 goals and seven assists, good for 13th place in FLC history.

Mancha, a junior from Sandia High School in Albuquerque, N.M., has a 3.91 GPA in General Biology. She previously was named to the RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll in 2010. Mancha scored her first collegiate goal — a game-winner in a 2-1 win at Adams State — on Sept. 25. During her three-year career, she has scored six points on four assists.

Wellcome, a sophomore from Hamilton High School in Chandler, Ariz., majors in Public Health and carries a 3.77 GPA. Earlier this season, coaches chose her as the RMAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. As a true freshman in 2010, she earned second team All-Central Region honors (both NSCAA and Daktronics), third team All-RMAC accolades, RMAC Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 12, 2010, and RMAC All-Tournament Team distinction.

Barden, a senior from South Haven High School in South Haven, Mich., repeated on the RMAC All-Academic Honor Roll. She has amassed eight total points on three goals and two assists during her career. She has two points (one goal) in 2011.

Haycock, a redshirt freshman from the Classical Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., has a 3.37 GPA in Business Administration-Management. She has scored two points and one goal in 2011.

Knewitz, a redshirt freshman from La Cueva High School in Albuquerque, N.M., maintains a 3.71 GPA in Chemistry-Biochemistry.

Raso, a sophomore from Smoky Hill High School in Aurora, Colo., carries a 3.39 GPA in Psychology. She has posted an 8-1-3 record with 50 saves and a 1.25 goals against average thus far in 2011.

To qualify for Academic All-RMAC, student-athletes must have a GPA of 3.30 or better, be a starter or reserve, and completed two consecutive semesters or three quarters at their current institution. The student-athlete's cumulative GPA is what they had earned prior to soccer season beginning. RMAC sports information directors at schools that sponsor the sport of women's soccer selected first and second teams.

After playing 10 of their first 13 games on foreign soil, the ninth-ranked Skyhawks (9-1-3 overall, 6-1-2 in the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference) return home for the four straight at Dirks Field. The Skyhawks host Colorado Christian (2-11-0, 1-8-0) at 1 p.m. Friday before facing No. 13 Metro State (9-2-1, 5-2-1) at 1 p.m. Sunday.