Gamecocks Earn Program Record Seven CoSIDA Academic All-District Honors
AUSTIN, Texas – A program record seven South Carolina women’s soccer players were named to the 2021 Academic All-District® Women’s Soccer Team as selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). The award recognizes the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom.
Lauren Chang earns her third All-District honor while Catherine Barry, Samantha Chang, Sarah Eskew, Ryan Gareis, Jyllissa Harris, and Heather Hinz each earned their first selection. The seven selections are tied for the most in Division I women’s soccer and obliterate the team’s previous record of three selections (2007 and 2010). The Gamecocks have had at least one All-District selection in each of the last 10 years.
All seven players now advance to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced December 10.
Lauren Chang is pursuing a graduate degree in business administration after earning her undergrad in political science with a 3.93 GPA. She joins Blakely Mattern and Mollie Patton as the only three-time honorees in program history. Chang was named a Second Team CoSIDA Academic All-American last year. The midfielder is tied for the team lead this season with eight assists, which rank 49th in the country.
Barry holds a 3.96 GPA while majoring in chemistry. The sophomore leads the Gamecocks with seven goals and 16 points on the season. She has scored a pair of game-winners against Alabama and Florida. Barry ranks 31st in the nation in shot accuracy and 79th in goals per game.
A redshirt junior, Samantha Chang carries a 3.80 GPA in social work. A defensive midfielder, she is credited with two assists and a goal on the season. She has played all 90 minutes in six matches this season. In the spring, she earned her first cap with the Canadian Senior National team.
Eskew holds a 4.0 GPA in her graduate course work for global health after earning her undergraduate degree in public health also with a 4.0. As a defender she started 12 matches to begin the season until suffering an injury. She has helped the team earn three shutouts in matches she’s played in. Eskew is a four-time SEC Academic Honor Roll honoree.
Gareis earned her bachelor’s degree in advertising with a 3.97 GPA and is currently pursuing her master’s in health communication where she has a 3.67 GPA. She is tied for the team lead with eight assists on the season, which rank 49th in the nation. Gareis is second on the team with 14 points and has scored three goals, including the game-winner against Auburn. For her performance against Auburn, Gareis was named the SEC Offensive Player of the Week.
A senior, Harris is majoring in early childhood education where she holds a 3.97 GPA. She is a two-time First Team All-SEC selection and was named the SEC Defensive Player of the Week earlier this season. Although she plays as a central defender, Harris is tied for second on the team with four goals. She has started every match this season, playing every minute in 15 of those, accounting for almost 1,600 minutes on the pitch.
Hinz, a junior majoring in sport and entertainment management, carries a 3.69 GPA. She has started all 18 matches in goal for the Gamecocks. She has played in 1,620 minutes which rank 106th in the country. Her 1.055 goals against average is third in the SEC and 111th nationally. Hinz has recorded four shutouts on the season and has a .683 save percentage.
The Gamecocks travel to North Carolina for their NCAA Tournament first round match with the Tar Heels Saturday, November 13, at 2 p.m.
For more information about CoSIDA’s Academic All-District® and Academic All-America® Teams program, visit AcademicAllAmerica.com on CoSIDA.com.
