Fisk Named National Scholar Athlete of the Year

COLUMBIA, S.C. – South Carolina women’s soccer graduate Grace Fisk has been named the United Soccer Coaches Scholar Player of the Year, the organization announced Wednesday. Fisk, along with Mikayla Krzeczowski, were also named Scholar All-Americans with Fisk on the First Team and Krzeczowski on the Second Team.
 
“Grace and Mikayla continue to represent the program at the highest standard,” South Carolina head coach Shelley Smith said. “We are so glad they are recognized for their efforts on the field and in the classroom.”
 
“To be recognized as the Scholar Athlete of the Year in the country is just outstanding,” Smith added. “We are all so proud of Grace and all she has meant to the program and this university.  She has also represented her home country of England so well and look forward to following her future success.”
 
Fisk becomes the first student-athlete in program history to be named the national Scholar Athlete of the Year, an award that recognizes the most outstanding student-athlete from the season’s All-America and Scholar All-America teams. Fisk recently completed her degree in Criminology and Criminal Justice and is prepared to join the professional ranks of women’s soccer in the near future.
 
The recognition adds to the long list of accomplishments the Bromley, London, native this season. She was named the SEC Defender of the Year and eventually led the Gamecocks to an SEC Tournament Championship where she was named the Most Valuable Player. Fisk earned All-America honors from the United Soccer Coaches and ESPNW after being named All-Region and a MAC Hermann Trophy semifinalist.
 
Fisk was the anchor of the Gamecocks back line that led the country with 17 clean sheets along with setting the single-season program record. The 0.32 goals against average was the best in program history and the second best in the country during the 2019 campaign. Fisk also contributed in two major wins for the Gamecocks during the season, highlighted by her game-winning goal against Kansas to help Carolina advance to the NCAA quarterfinals for the third time in four years.
 
For Krzeczowski, the scholarly honor is the second this season. The Douglasville, Ga., native, majored in Visual Communications and has graduated from the University of South Carolina. Krzeczowski’s Scholar All-American finish adds to her impressive collection of awards this season. She was named the SEC’s first Goalkeeper of the Year and to the All-SEC First Team for the third time in her career.
 
Krzeczowski led the country with 16 individual clean sheets, good enough for a new single-season program record. Her 0.33 goals against average also is the best in South Carolina history and her impressive consecutive matches started streak ended perfectly with 89-straight starts over her four years in goal in Columbia.
 
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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