Emmanuel women’s soccer continues to collect a variety of awards, this time honoring the combination of academics and athletics, as juniors Annebel Balogh de Galantha and Liz McCormick have been named to the College Sports Communicators (CSC) Division III Women’s Soccer Academic All-America® Team, as voted on by the CSC and announced by the organization on Wednesday. Both Saints were selected to the Third Team Academic All-America® squad while becoming Emmanuel's fourth and fifth student-athletes to receive this honor from the CSC.
Setting a new accomplishment as the first pair of teammates ever to be named a CSC Academic All-America®, Balogh de Galantha and McCormick join three-time CSC Academic All-America® Yuleska Ramirez-Tejada (’20), Mikayla Guthrie (’19), and Cathryn Lariviere (’09), as the only other Saints to receive this distinction.
Balogh de Galantha, a staple at center back for the Saints since her rookie season in 2022, currently holds a 4.00 GPA and majors in Psychology with a concentration in Counseling and Health.
A Saints co-captain, the junior defender tallied six goals and four assists for 16 points this season. Balogh de Galantha adds a CSC Third Team All-America® honors to her growing list of accomplishments this season; a list that includes a spot on the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) First Team and a United Soccer Coaches (USC) All-Region I Second Team nomination.
“I am grateful for this recognition by the CSC and most importantly thank my teammates and coaches for all their support on and off the field,” said Balogh de Galantha. “Thank you to my professors for being flexible and helping me be as successful as I can be in the classroom. I’m honored to be recognized for both my athletic and academic accomplishments and to have the opportunity to represent Emmanuel College with this award.”
McCormick enjoyed a breakout season in 2024, playing the majority of her minutes as a wing in the Saints lineup. Majoring in Marketing, McCormick holds a 3.94 GPA at the time of her nomination.
After missing half of her sophomore campaign, McCormick bounced back with 14 goals and 24 assists for 52 points as a junior. Her 24 assists broke the single-season program record and led all women’s soccer players in NCAA Division III. She’s one of three Saints in program history with a season of 10 goals and 10 assists while finishing the year as a GNAC All-Conference First Team selection and USC All-Region I First Team honoree.
“I’m grateful for my teammates who made me successful on the field, but most importantly, I appreciate my professors who made the accommodations necessary for me to get here,” said McCormick. “Above all, Emmanuel College has provided me with the tools needed to be a successful student-athlete and I couldn’t imagine pursuing my collegiate career anywhere else.”
The CSC Academic All-America® selection process begins with student-athletes being nominated to the CSC Academic All-District® Team.
Nomination for the Academic All-District® Team requires a student-athlete to be at least a sophomore in academic and athletic standing with a 3.50 GPA or higher and start in 66 percent or appear in 90 percent of a team’s games.
Following that nomination, a select group of student-athletes advance to the Academic All-America® selection process, voted on by the members of CSC. Of the 1,389 Division III women’s soccer student-athletes to be named to the Academic All-District® Team, only 137 names advanced to the Academic All-America® ballot.
From there, three goalies, 12 defenders, nine midfielders, and nine forwards make the cut, as the top vote-getters are named a First-, Second-, or Third-Team Academic All-America®. This year’s nominees included 20 goalies, 38 defenders, 40 midfielders, and 39 forwards eligible for Academic All-America® status.