Women's Soccer | 11/4/2011 3:30:00 PM

McPherson, Kan. – McPherson College women’s soccer’s senior defender Whitney Smith (South Jordan, Utah) has been named to the Capital One Academic All-District 6 team, announced Friday afternoon by the College Sports Information Directors of American (CoSIDA). Smith is the first women’s athlete at McPherson to receive this honor.
 
Members of CoSIDA in each of the eight districts vote upon the teams. Student-athletes must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.2 and must be a starter or key reserve player that has participated in at least 50 percent of the team’s competitions. By virtue of her selection to the District 6 team, Smith will be on the ballot for the national Capital One Academic All-American award.
 
Smith, a mathematics major from South Jordan, Utah, has started all 36 matches at the central defender position since joining the Bulldogs in the fall of 2010. Smith is a key piece of a back line that owns 17 total shutouts in two seasons, including nine in 2011. Smith owns two career goals, both of which came in the Bulldogs 3-0 victory against the University of Saint Mary on Oct. 1.  
 
In addition to the Capital One award, Smith maintains the credentials to be a member of the 2011 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete team that will be released later this fall by the NAIA national office.
 
McPherson College competes in College Division of District 6, which consists of NAIA and junior college student-athletes that attend school in the states of Kansas, Montana, Nebraska and South Dakota. Other Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference award winners include Amanda Just and Theresa Crane of Ottawa University and Hannah Kern of Kansas Wesleyan University.