ECNL College Impact – Power 5 Conferences
RICHMOND, VA (November 15, 2016) – For the third year in a row, alums from the Elite Clubs National League overwhelmingly dominated the 2016 individual awards in the SEC, ACC, Big Ten, Pac-12, and Big 12, also known as the “Power 5” NCAA conferences. The 2016 freshman class of ECNL Alums accounted for 49 of the 58 total 2016 All-Freshman honors in the Power 5, and in total, ECNL Alums claimed 15 different Player of the Year awards and 147 All-Conference honors.
Beyond just the individual award winners, there were over 1,100 ECNL Alums playing at college soccer’s highest levels in the Power 5 this season:
- Pac-12 – 212 ECNL Alums
- Big Ten – 233 ECNL Alums
- Big 12 – 177 ECNL Alums
- ACC – 248 ECNL Alums
- SEC – 238 ECNL Alums
The transformative impact of the ECNL has never been more apparent than the list of 2016 award winners in the Pac-12, Big Ten, Big 12, ACC, and SEC:
- 2016 Pac-12 Player of the Year – Andi Sullivan, Bethesda SC
- 2016 Pac-12 Freshman of the Year – Taylor Kornieck, San Diego Surf
- 2016 Pac-12 Defensive Player of the Year – Mandy Freeman, BOCA United
- 2016 Pac-12 Goalkeeper of the Year – Sammy Jo Prudhomme, So Cal Blues
- 10 of 11 players in the 2016 Pac-12 All-Conference First Team
- 8 of 11 players in the 2016 Pac-12 All-Conference Second Team
- 9 of 11 in the 2016 Pac-12 All-Freshman Team
- 2016 Big Ten Forward of the Year – Simone Kolander, Minnesota Thunder
- 2016 Big Ten Freshman of the Year – Nicole Whitley, PDA
- 16 of 24 in the 2016 Big Ten All-Conference First and Second Teams
- 11 of 13 in the 2016 Big Ten All-Freshman Teams
- 2016 Big 12 Offensive Player of the Year – Michaela Abam, Texas Rush
- 2016 Big 12 Freshman of the Year – Cyera Hintzen, Dallas Sting
- 16 of 24 in the 2016 Big 12 All-Conference First and Second Teams
- 8 of 11 in the 2016 Big 12 All-Freshman Team
- 2016 ACC Offensive of the Year and Midfielder of the Year – Alexis Shaffer, CASL
- 2016 ACC Defensive Player of the Year – Christina Gibbons, CASL
- 2016 ACC Freshman of the Year – Bridgette Andrzejewski, Match Fit Academy
- 9 of 11 in the 2014 ACC All-Conference First Team
- 15 of 22 in the 2014 ACC All-Conference Second and Third Teams
- 9 of 11 in the 2016 ACC All-Freshman Team
- 2016 SEC Offensive Player of the Year – Savannah McCaskill, CESA
- 2016 SEC Defensive Player of the Year – Kaleigh Kurtz, CESA
- 2016 SEC Freshman of the Year – Sarah Luebbert, SLSG-MO
- 24 of 32 in the 2016 SEC All-Conference First and Second Teams
- 12 of 12 in the 2016 SEC All-Freshman Team
Across the country, the “ECNL player” has become the representation of the next generation collegiate soccer player. Congratulations to these players for continuing their journey of success in college, and representing what it means to be an ECNL Alum.
The ECNL is more than four letters – it is the best platform for female soccer players in the United States, and the vision and goal of the best clubs, teams, and players in the country. Become an ECNL athlete and start your path to college soccer now.
To learn more about the ECNL College Impact, click here.
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About Elite Clubs National League: The Elite Clubs National League (ECNL) was founded in 2009 to enhance the developmental experience of female youth soccer players in the United States through: (i) improving the competitive environment through creation of a true national competitive league; (ii) improving the process for identifying elite female soccer players for college and youth national teams through a systematic scouting and identification program based on national competitions; and (iii) improving the daily training environment at top female youth soccer clubs through developing best practices and training and organizational guidelines for its member clubs. The ECNL is sanctioned by US Club Soccer and is sponsored by Nike Soccer.
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