Nov. 28, 2005
Columbia, S.C. – South Carolina senior defender Kimmy Criss has been named to the ESPN The Magazine 2005 CoSIDA Academic All-America® University Division third team for women’s soccer. This is the second time that a USC women’s soccer player has earned Academic All-America honors. Jennie Ondo earned the distinction after the 1999-2000 season. Criss, a 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 and CoSIDA Academic All-District teams.
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.
The Academic All-America® Teams program honors 816 male and female student-athletes annually who have succeeded at the highest level on the playing field and in the classroom. Individuals are selected through voting by CoSIDA, the College Sports Information Directors of America; a 2,000-member organization consisted of sports public relations professionals for colleges and universities in the United States and Canada.To be eligible, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative grade point average of 3.20 on a scale of 4.00, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standings at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director.
Since the program’s inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA covering all NCAA championship sports. ESPN The Magazine – winner of the 2003 National Magazine Award for General Excellence – is a provocative and innovative sports publication. Full of insight, analysis, impact and wit, the oversized bi-weekly with a circulation of 1.85 million looks ahead to give fans a unique perspective on the world of sports.
