Fisk, Krzeczowski Named All-Americans
COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina seniors Grace Fisk and Mikayla Krzeczowski have been tabbed United Soccer Coaches All-Americans, the coaching organization announced Thursday night. The Gamecocks have had at least one All-American for seven straight seasons.
Fisk, who earned a spot on the First Team for the second time in her career, becomes the second Gamecock in program history (Savannah McCaskill) to earn All-America honors three times. She’s just the third Gamecock in program history to also earn First Team honors multiple times (McCaskill, Sabrina D’Angelo).
“Grace Fisk had another outstanding year for us as a captain and leader of our defense,” South Carolina head coach Shelley Smith said. “Her skill, competitiveness and composure under pressure make her a top-level player and she has been a huge part of our success as a team since she stepped on the field for us. I am so happy to see her rewarded again with much deserved All-American honors.”
“I just want to thank everyone who has helped me on my journey here at South Carolina – the coaches, teammates, fans,” Fisk said. “Being named an All American would not have been possible without those people and so I owe everything to them, to South Carolina. Although we didn’t go as far as we wanted we have had a great season and I couldn’t have asked for better people to go on this journey with.”
The All-American status is a first for Krzeczowski. A Douglasville, Ga., native, Krzeczowski led the country in clean sheets in the 2019 with 16 and was fifth in goals against average at 0.33, both single-season program records. Those same numbers for Krzeczowski also place her at the top of the SEC record books in single-season shutouts and second in goals against average.
“Mikayla has proven herself as one of the top goalkeepers in the country over her time at South Carolina,” Smith said of Krzeczowski. “Her statistical records say a lot about what she has accomplished. She has been fortunate to play behind some outstanding defensive players, but as her teammates will tell you, they play their best having so much confidence in Mikayla behind them. She has always shown the ability to come up with a key save when needed and to command her 18 the way she does makes her a special player. I am proud of how she has grown over the four years and finishing her career as an All-American is well deserved.”
“It’s an honor to be named among the best in the country,” Krzeczowski said. “This award merely symbolizes all my time and energy devoted to soccer. I wouldn’t be here today without my parents, youth and college coaches, my teammates and best friends. It’s a privilege to play this beautiful sport and I’m thankful for it every day.”
South Carolina finished the 2019 season in the NCAA quarterfinals after defeating Samford, Notre Dame and Kansas in the NCAA Tournament. South Carolina claimed the 2019 SEC Tournament title in early November with a 1-0 victory over Arkansas, the fifth overall title in program history.
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