AUSTIN, Texas --- Two ODAC women's soccer standouts took home impressive dual-emphasis honors on Tuesday afternoon as Lynchburg College centerback Emily Maxwell and Shenandoah University back Alex Wessel were named Academic All-Americans by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Maxwell earned a spot on the second team, while Wessel was tabbed to the third team.
To be eligible for Academic All-America honors, student-athletes must have at least a 3.3 GPA on a 4.0 scale and be a starter or important reserve on their team. Nominees are voted on in one of eight national districts by CoSIDA members with first team All-District honorees moving on to the national ballot for Academic All-America consideration.
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Maxwell, a senior from Quantico, Va., maintains a 3.909 grade point average as a Exercise Physiology major. In addition to her CoSIDA honors, Maxwell was tabbed the ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete of the Year for women's soccer. She is a three-time honoree on the All-ODAC Academic Team and was previously honored as Academic All-District by CoSIDA. She is active with the Lynchburg women's soccer team's partnership with the Sports Outreach Institute, traveling to Uganda and Kenya with the sports ministry that is committed to reducing human suffering.
On the pitch, Maxwell previously earned ODAC Player of the Year and All-ODAC First Team laurels this season. No stranger to major ODAC honors, she adds her 2017 awards to 2015 ODAC Player of the Year and 2014 ODAC Rookie of the Year selections. She is now a four-time All-ODAC First Team honoree, a rare feat in any conference sport. The anchor in the center of Lynchburg's base back-three defense, Maxwell led a unit that surrendered 21 goals against all opponents including just six tallies versus league foes. Maxwell helped the Hornets secure 10 one-goal victories with four 1-0 shutouts. That final note includes a 1-0 overtime triumph over Bridgewater in the ODAC title game where Maxwell shined in limiting a potent Eagles' front-three. She also got forward to register four points on a goal and two assists. For her career, Maxwell played in and started 96 games for Lynchburg, scoring seven goals and dishing out seven assists. Her teams went 81-10-7 (.862) with three ODAC titles.
Wessel, a senior from Severn, Md., boasts a 3.97 grade point average as Political Science and Global Studies double major. She is the 19th Shenandoah University student-athlete in history to be named Academic All-America and the third from the women's soccer program, joining former standouts Danielle Burris and Renee Summerson. Wessel is the Preseident of the Political Science Society, a student ambassador, and has been inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa (national leadership), Alpha Lambda Delta (national for first-year students), and Alpha Chi (national general scholarship) honor societies. Wessel participated in the SU Global Citizenship Project and has given back to the community via Habitat for Humanity, Soccer Step Up, WATTS homeless shelter, and as a reader at local elementary schools. On campus, she volunteered at Stop Hunger Now and as a mentor for First Year Seminar.
On the field, Wessel started 16-of-19 games for the Hornets this season at back and scored her lone goal of the year in a 10-0 ODAC win at Sweet Briar on October 21. She served as one of the team's co-captains and played in 70 games over her four-year career for SU Hornets' women's soccer.