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Nov. 3, 2005

Columbia, S.C. – South Carolina senior defender Kimmy Criss has been named to the ESPN The Magazine 2005 CoSIDA Academic All-District III University Division team for women’s soccer. This marks the second consecutive season that Criss has earned Academic All-District honors. The senior from Knoxville, Tenn. is an accounting major and owns a cumulative grade point average of 4.0, twice being named to the SEC Academic Honor Roll.

In her second season as co-captain on the Gamecock women’s soccer team, Criss battled through injuries and adversity to play in 12 matches this year with three starts. In over four seasons at Carolina, she played in 63 matches with 31 starts in the back four of the defense for the garnet and black. Criss also earned the Inspiration Award at the 2004-05 USC Scholar Athlete Banquet; presented to a USC student-athlete who has overcome great adversity with perseverance, dedication and determination.

“What is most impressive about Kimmy’s academic success is all the adversity she does go through in her life and what she has had to deal with outside of trying to focus on college, studies and being a Division I athlete,” said USC head coach Shelley Smith. “She’s able to balance everything in her life and is a bright young person. She has shown that she can have anything thrown at her and come out on top. She’s managed to keep academics as a priority and succeed in the classroom beyond what many people could possibly do. We are proud of her accomplishments and what she has done as a role model for the program.”

Criss will now be on the ballot that is voted on for the 2005 CoSIDA Academic All-America® Women’s Soccer team. The College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) selects Academic All-America® teams in 12 programs: football, women’s volleyball, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball, softball, men’s track & field/cross country, women’s track & field/cross country, men’s at-large and women’s at-large. A first team, second team and third team are selected in both the University (Division I and I-AA) and College (Division II, III and NAIA) Divisions. Football consists of just first and second teams.