Six Bulldog Women’s Soccer Players Earn College Sports Communicators Academic All-District® Honors

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GREENWOOD, Ind. - Six UNC Asheville Women's Soccer players have earned Academic All-District® honors by College Sports Communicators, announced by the organization today (Tuesday, Nov. 21).

Sophomore goalkeeper Gracie Murray, sophomore midfielder Nao Kawasaki, junior midfielder Ava Bjorkman-Tracy, senior midfielder Barrett Eidson, junior forward Taylor Gardner and junior defender Anna Doane earned the honor from UNC Asheville.

Student-athletes must meet the following criteria to be eligible for Academic All-District honors:

Must be a sophomore both academically and athletically
Must have a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.50
Must have either appeared in 90 percent of this season's contests and/or started in 66 percent of this season's contests

Murray played and started in 14 matches as a sophomore. She posted a record of 5-6-3 on the season including four shutouts. Murray also totaled 64 saves on the season including a career-high 12 saves at USC Upstate (Sept. 23). She was named to the 2023 Big South Conference All-Academic Team.

This is Murray's first career Academic All-District® honor. The Harrisburg, N.C. native holds a 4.0 GPA in environmental studies.

Kawasaki appeared in all 17 matches as a sophomore, making eight starts. She scored her first goal in an Asheville uniform as the game-winner at Davidson (Aug. 24), later earning Big South Conference Offensive Player of the Week honors (Aug. 28). She scored a goal in the draw with Mercer (Sept. 10), and tallied an assist in the draw at Morehead State (Sept. 14). She also scored goals against Longwood (Sept. 30), South Carolina State (Oct. 8) and Winthrop (Oct. 18). Kawasaki finished the season tied for the team lead in goals (five). She played a season-high 79 minutes at Morehead State.

This is Kawasaki's first career Academic All-District® honor. The Oita, Japan native holds a 4.0 GPA in business.

Bjorkman-Tracy played and started in all 17 matches as a junior. Ava posted an assist on the game-winning goal at VMI (Aug. 20). She played a season-high 90 minutes at USC Upstate (Sept. 23).

This is Bjorkman-Tracy's second career Academic All-District® honor. The St. Paul, Minn. native holds a 3.92 GPA in environmental studies.

Eidson played and started in all 17 matches, playing all 90 minutes on eight occasions. She scored her only goal of the season against Furman (Sept. 3). Eidson recorded assists at USC Upstate (Sept. 23) and at South Carolina State (Oct. 8).

This is Eidson's second career Academic All-District® honor. The Tarboro, N.C. native holds a 3.81 GPA in new media.

Gardner appeared in 16 matches as a junior, making 12 starts. She scored the game-winner against Wofford (Aug. 30), and also tallied an assist in the 2-1 win over Furman (Sept. 3). She also scored the game-tying goal at Morehead State (Sept. 14), before notching two goals and an assist in the 4-1 win over Presbyterian (Sept. 27). Gardner also notched a goal and an assist in the 6-1 win at South Carolina State (Oct. 8). She finished the season tied for the team lead in goals (five) and also tied for second on the team in assists (three).

This is Gardner's first career Academic All-District® honor. The Cherry Hill, N.J. native holds a 3.79 GPA in biology.

Doane played and started in 16 matches this season, not coming off the field and totaling 1,430 minutes. She anchored the back line to four shutouts on the season and scored her first career goal against Mercer (Sept. 10). She also tallied a goal and an assist for a career-high three points at South Carolina State (Oct. 8). She was also named Big South Conference All-Conference Second Team.

This is Doane's first career Academic All-District® honor. The Jackson, Mich. native holds a 3.74 GPA in environmental studies.

About Women's Athletics Presenting Partner First Bank

First Bank is the banking subsidiary of First Bancorp and is headquartered in Southern Pines, North Carolina, with total assets of approximately $12.4 billion. As a state-chartered community bank, First Bank operates 118 bank branches in North Carolina and South Carolina. Since 1935, First Bank has taken a tailored approach to banking, combining best-in-class financial solutions, helpful local expertise, and technology to manage a home or business. First Bancorp's common stock is traded on the NASDAQ Global Select Market under the symbol "FBNC." Visit our website at www.LocalFirstBank.com. Member FDIC, Equal Housing Lender.