TicketsCINCINNATI - The United Soccer Coaches have announced their annual academic awards with University of Cincinnati women's soccer player Vanessa Gilles being named a 2017 USC Scholar All-America Second Team honoree today. Gilles, who was named a USC Scholar All-North/Central Region First Team selection earlier this week, collects her second national academic award of the year after being selected to the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-America Third Team earlier this month.
The first Bearcats player to earn a national academic award from the USC (formerly the NSCAA) since Kristina Wilson was named to the third team in 2002, Gilles is the first UC player to not only earn both national academic awards in the same season, but also in a career. All told, Gilles is only the third Bearcats player to earn this honor, joining Wilson (3rd team, 2002) and Nickie Luse (2nd team, 2001) on the list for the honot that was first awarded following the 1997 season.
All told, Gilles is the eighth Bearcats player to earn the national honor and the fifth to be selected to the second team (one each have been selected first team, third team and honorable mention). She also is the only student-athlete from the American Athletic Conference to be named to the All-America squad after she was the only AAC player to be selected to either of the four regional lists.
Just the second Bearcats player to earn CoSIDA Academic All-America honors, the Ottawa, Ontario, native put together a solid senior season as she was named the 2017 American Athletic Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year. Along with sporting a 3.97 overall GPA, Gilles has posted four semesters with a perfect 4.00 GPA during her collegiate career. A two-time AAC All-Conference First Team honoree, Gilles played her final collegiate match for UC in November, helping UC to four years of improved winning percentages, one of the top defenses in the league and a conference title in 2015. Her career saw her start and play 82 matches, the eighth-most in program history, as she anchored a defense that continued to improve each year, helping a program that allowed 37 goals prior to her arrival drop that total to 11 this year.
To be eligible for USC Scholar honors, a student-athlete needed to carry a 3.30 cumulative grade-point average throughout their career; started 50 percent of all games played and significantly contribute to their team; and be a junior or above academically. Gilles and the 34 other women named Scholar All-Americans will be recognized at the All-America Luncheon on January 20, 2018, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in conjunction with the 2018 United Soccer Coaches Convention.
2017 United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-America
Vanessa Gilles • Second Team
2017 United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-North/Central Region
Vanessa Gilles • First Team
Cincinnati's All-Time USC/NSCAA Scholar All-Americans
2017 • Vanessa Gilles (2nd)
2002 • Kristina Wilson (3rd)
2001 • Nickie Luse (2nd)
The first Bearcats player to earn a national academic award from the USC (formerly the NSCAA) since Kristina Wilson was named to the third team in 2002, Gilles is the first UC player to not only earn both national academic awards in the same season, but also in a career. All told, Gilles is only the third Bearcats player to earn this honor, joining Wilson (3rd team, 2002) and Nickie Luse (2nd team, 2001) on the list for the honot that was first awarded following the 1997 season.
All told, Gilles is the eighth Bearcats player to earn the national honor and the fifth to be selected to the second team (one each have been selected first team, third team and honorable mention). She also is the only student-athlete from the American Athletic Conference to be named to the All-America squad after she was the only AAC player to be selected to either of the four regional lists.
Just the second Bearcats player to earn CoSIDA Academic All-America honors, the Ottawa, Ontario, native put together a solid senior season as she was named the 2017 American Athletic Conference Co-Defensive Player of the Year. Along with sporting a 3.97 overall GPA, Gilles has posted four semesters with a perfect 4.00 GPA during her collegiate career. A two-time AAC All-Conference First Team honoree, Gilles played her final collegiate match for UC in November, helping UC to four years of improved winning percentages, one of the top defenses in the league and a conference title in 2015. Her career saw her start and play 82 matches, the eighth-most in program history, as she anchored a defense that continued to improve each year, helping a program that allowed 37 goals prior to her arrival drop that total to 11 this year.
To be eligible for USC Scholar honors, a student-athlete needed to carry a 3.30 cumulative grade-point average throughout their career; started 50 percent of all games played and significantly contribute to their team; and be a junior or above academically. Gilles and the 34 other women named Scholar All-Americans will be recognized at the All-America Luncheon on January 20, 2018, at the Pennsylvania Convention Center in conjunction with the 2018 United Soccer Coaches Convention.
2017 United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-America
Vanessa Gilles • Second Team
2017 United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-North/Central Region
Vanessa Gilles • First Team
Cincinnati's All-Time USC/NSCAA Scholar All-Americans
2017 • Vanessa Gilles (2nd)
2002 • Kristina Wilson (3rd)
2001 • Nickie Luse (2nd)