Sobol leads Panthers to team academic award

ORANGE, Calif. – Capping off one of the most decorated careers in Chapman University women's soccer history, senior M Val Sobol earned Scholar All-West Region honors from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America. Her first team selection paved the way for a Panthers team that combined to post a 3.45 grade point average, earning its first NSCAA Collegiate Team Academic Award since 2003.

Chapman, who joined the Southern California Intercollegiate Athletics Conference in the 2012-13 season, was one of just four SCIAC schools to earn the team recognition. The Panthers outpaced their conference foes Cal Lutheran, Claremont-M-S and Occidental with the highest GPA in the conference.

Sobol's individual recognition marks her second-straight first team selection. She becomes just the third Panther in school history to accomplish the feat. The double-major in accounting and business finance earned the recognition on the strength of a 3.75 cumulative GPA.

The graduating senior adds the academic accomplishment to a long list of awards that includes selections to the NCAA All-Independents, All-SCIAC, NSCAA Scholar All-West Region, NSCAA Scholar All-American and NSCAA All-American teams.

The NSCAA administers an annual awards and recognition program which includes Coach of the Year, All-America, long-term service and special recognition awards designed to recognize excellence in soccer, academics and service to the game.

NSCAA All-West Region team: http://www.nscaa.com/news/2013/12/2013-nscaa-college-division-women-s-scholar-all-west-region

NSCAA Women's Team Academic Award: http://www.nscaa.com/awards/2012-13-team-academic-awards-college#women

by Ryan Cavinder
Sports Information Assistant

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