Kaleigh Kurtz

AWARDS:
Senior season (2016)
· MAC Herman Trophy Semifinalist
· SEC Defensive Player of the Year
· NSCAA All-America First Team
· NSCAA Scholar All-America First Team
· All-SEC First Team
· NSCAA All-South Region First Team
· NSCAA Scholar All-South Region First Team
· SEC Defensive Player of the Week (Week 9)
· SEC Preseason Watch List
· SEC Academic Honor Roll

Junior season (2015)
· Voted Defensive Player of the Year by teammates and coaches
· SEC Academic Honor Roll

Sophomore season (2014)
· SEC Academic Honor Roll

IN THE RECORD BOOK:
· Shares sophomore record for matches played (25)

2016: Started all 24 matches, turning in her finest season as a Gamecock…anchored the back line and led all Carolina players with 2,165 minutes played…was one of just three players in Division I to be tabbed a First Team NSCAA All-American and Scholar All-American…boasted career highs in points (7) and assists (5)…her seven points led all defenders, and her five assists were the third-best mark on the team…paced a Gamecock defense that guided Carolina to a program-record and SEC-leading 0.41 goals against average, the sixth-best mark in Division I…the Gamecocks’ 14 shutouts topped the conference and were one short of the program single-season record…Carolina allowed 10 goals on the year and just three in league play, recording eight shutouts against SEC foes…was on the field for the entire match in all but two contests…registered her first multi-assist game in Carolina’s 3-0 win over UNCG (9/15)…netted her second career goal against Kentucky (9/25), a 3-0 victory over the Wildcats…set up the game-winning goal at home against No. 6 Clemson (9/3)…tallied an assist in the SEC Quarterfinals against Texas A&M (11/2) to get the Gamecocks level with the Aggies…put eight of her 16 shot attempts on target.

2015: Started all 20 matches…tallied three points on the season on one goal and one assist…netted her first collegiate goal for the Gamecocks in a 3-2 victory over Coastal Carolina (8/30)…part of a South Carolina back line that contributed to six shutouts on the season…made her first career start in the season opener against Northeastern (8/21)…finished the season with eight shots, putting three on frame.

2014: Played in all 25 contests, logging 552 minutes, primarily as a substitute at outside back after transferring from the University of Richmond…recorded shots in two contests, first vs. Georgia (9/28) then at No. 6 Texas A&M (10/26)…a main defensive substitute for the Gamecocks as they allowed just 11 regular-season goals and finished the season with a 0.72 goals against average — 26th nationally and tops in the SEC — after seeing just 18 balls hit the back of the net…contributed to 13 shutouts, second most in school history, including three straight in the NCAA Tournament

2013 (Richmond): Started all 18 matches … Recorded first collegiate assist against George Mason … Took 17 shots with seven on goal.

PRE-COLLEGE: A four-star prospect and ranked No. 127 nationally, No. 15 in the South Region and No. 28 in the country among defenders … Four-time ECNL Al-Event Team selection … ECNL Top Performer in 2012 … Helped lead Carolina Elite Soccer Academy (CESA) to seven state championships … Won 2012 regional championship and finished sixth at Nationals … Four-year starter at Riverside High school … Four-time All-Region and three-time All-State selection … Named team Defensive Player of the Year as a sophomore, Best All-Around Player as a junior and MVP as a senior … Won four consecutive regional championships and state championship in 2010 … Played alongside Chelsea Drennan in the sixth annual Clash of the Carolina’s high school all-star match.

PERSONAL: Kaleigh Nicole Kurtz was born Sept. 9, 1994… parents are Andrew and Heidi Kurtz … biology major.