Missouri State women’s soccer players Caroline Sweeney, Samantha Aguilar and Jessica Smits were among 18 student-athletes named as Missouri Valley Conference Scholar-Athletes for 2008 in a vote of the league’s sports information directors. Sweeney was a first-team selection while Aguilar and Smits were honorable mention choices.
Sweeney, a senior from Overland Park, Kan., carries a 3.71 GPA in english education and started in 18 contests for the Bears during the 2008 season. A member of the 2008 MVC All-Tournament team, Sweeney recorded five goals and one assist for 11 points on the season. She tallied 45 shots with 20 of those shots on goal.
A junior midfielder from Lenexa, Kan., Aguilar makes the honorable mention squad with a 3.22 GPA in speech/language pathology. She was the Bears’ top scorer in the 2008 season, recording a team high 18 points. She netted seven goals and four assists in 19 games with three of those goals game-winners.
Smits, a junior midfielder for Jenks, Okla., owns a 3.41 GPA in exercise and movement science. She started all 19 matches for Missouri State, recording three assists for three points. She posted eight shots, with five of those shots on goal (.625).
The criterion for the Valley’s Scholar-Athlete Team parallels the CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) standards for Academic All-America voting. Nominees must be a starter or important reserve with at least a 3.00 cumulative grade-point average. Also, students must have participated in at least 75 percent of the regular season, reached sophomore academic and athletic standing at their institution and completed at least one full academic year at their institution.
The Missouri State women’s soccer team ended their season with a 10-7-2 overall record and a 5-3-0 mark in the Valley. The Bears advanced to the MVC Tournament semifinals after an overtime PK victory over fifth-seed and host Creighton. Missouri State suffered a 1-3 loss to Valley Tournament Champions Evansville in the second round of the tournament. The 2008 season marks the 13th straight year that the Bears qualified for the league’s tournament.
