Three Gamecocks Named CoSIDA First-Team Academic All-Americans

Nov. 22, 2016

CoSIDA Academic All-America Honorees

COLUMBIA, S.C. — South Carolina soccer student-athletes, senior midfielder Danny Deakin, senior midfielder Chelsea Drennan and senior defender Paige Bendell were named CoSIDA First-Team Academic All-Americans on Tuesday. South Carolina was the only school in the country to have a student-athlete on both the men’s and women’s first teams. The Gamecock women were the only school with multiple first team selections.

To be eligible for the honor, student-athletes had to be named CoSIDA Academic All-District in their respective regions earlier this month.

The last Carolina men’s soccer player to earn CoSIDA First-Team Academic All-American honors was defender Braeden Troyer in 2014. Maurer had a 3.94 GPA double-majoring in finance and marketing.

Deakin, who is 12th CoSIDA Academic All-American in program history, is making his first appearance on the team. He boasts a 3.932 GPA, majoring in criminal justice. The senior from Sheffield, England, was also named to the Conference USA All-Academic team for his accomplishments in the classroom. On the field, Deakin was one of the nation’s top players. He was named First-Team All-C-USA for the second straight season after leading the team in points with 20 (7G, 6A). Deakin finished the regular season ninth in the nation with five game-winning goals.

This season marks the second time the Gamecock women’s team has boasted two CoSIDA Academic All-Americans since 2014 (Sabrina D’Angelo and Taylor Leach).

Drennan, a three-time All-SEC Honor Roll selection, majors in pharmacy and has a 3.776 GPA. She has started all 23 games for the third-ranked Gamecocks. The Anderson, S.C., native, sports career highs in goals (8) and points (27) in 2016, and her 40 career assists rank first all-time in program history.

Bendell majors in accounting and currently holds a 3.968 GPA. She has started all 23 matches on the backline for Carolina this season, which tops the SEC and ranks third in the nation in goals against average (0.384). The Orland Park, Ill., native, leads all defenders on the team in goals with three in 2016.

Sixteen of the 33 members of the 2016 CoSIDA Academic All-America® Division I men’s soccer teams have at least a 3.90 GPA., with five student-athletes sporting a perfect 4.0 GPA. The 11 members of the first team have an average GPA of 3.85.

Twenty-three of the 33 members of the 2016 CoSIDA Academic All-America® Division I women’s soccer teams have at least a 3.90 G.P.A., with 13 student-athletes sporting a perfect 4.0 GPA. The 11 members of the first team have an average GPA of 3.90.

The top-seeded Gamecock women are making their second Elite Eight appearance in the NCAA Tournament this Friday as they host second-seeded North Carolina (16-3-4) with a trip to the NCAA Women’s College Cup on the line. Kickoff is set for 6 p.m. at Stone Stadium. The Gamecock men finished this season 11-8-1. They were eliminated from the NCAA Tournament in the second round by No. 3 Clemson on Sunday night after a heart-breaking 2-1 overtime loss at Riggs Field.