D3 Week Profile: Val Sobol, Women's Soccer

ORANGE, Calif. – In honor of Division III Week April 8-14, Chapman University is celebrating a handful of its outstanding student-athletes that represent the spirit of Division III athletics at its core. These dedicated students have excelled as Panthers both on the field of competition as well as amongst the elite in the classroom and in the community at large.

VAL SOBOL – Women's Soccer
NSCAA All-America, NSCAA Scholar All-America

The accolades never seemed to stop rolling in after the 2012 women's soccer season for junior Val Sobol, who received recognition for her work on the field and in the classroom. The Forsyth, Ill. native was just the second in Panther history to earn NSCAA All-America recognition and did so while holding a 3.84 GPA.

Double-majoring in business finance and accounting does not seem to hold Sobol back from pursuing any interests or opportunities, as she holds two jobs and is an active rock climber and competing skydiver. She works as an on-campus tutor for business students and also works at Skydive Elsinore.

The student-athlete is making the most of her four years at Chapman, best displayed by her current state of absence while she studies abroad in Australia for the semester.

"I have found that having such a large time commitment like Division III soccer actually helps me practice good time management," said Sobol when asked about her various involvements. "I know that soccer is going to take up 25-30 hours a week, so I am forced to get academic work done early or to plan around other commitments."

It all seems to be working for Sobol, who was named to the All-SCIAC first team and NSCAA Division III All-America and All-West Region teams. Sobol led the Panthers to the NCAA tournament with a team-high 25 points this season, consisting of 10 goals and five assists.

by Bogart Avila
Sports Information Intern

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