College Sports Communicators (CSC) released its 2022 Academic All-District® Women's Soccer Teams on Tuesday and five Lake Forest players were listed.
To be eligible for nomination, student-athletes must be starters or important reserves and have played in at least half of the team's contests at their position. They must maintain at least a 3.50 cumulative grade point average on a 4.0 scale at their current institution and be at least a sophomore academically and athletically.
The Foresters' honorees include juniors Ashley Birnesser and Alessandra Nepa, as well as seniors Maggie Kersting, Iman Shepard, and Paityn Tabor.
Kersting was named Midwest Conference Defensive Player of the Year in 2021 and 2022. The goalkeeper set program records with nine shutouts this season and 19 in her career. A neuroscience major, Kersting is also a three-time Academic All-MWC selection.
Shepard, a midfielder, scored twice this season and has 19 career points on seven goals and five assists. The biology major is a two-time Academic All-MWC honoree.
Tabor is also a midfielder with a pair of goals this fall. She added an assist and has 14 career points on six goals and two assists. Tabor is majoring in journalism (self-designed) and Spanish and has twice been named Academic All-MWC and the league's Elite 20 Award recipient.
Birnesser assisted on two goals in each of the last two seasons. The midfielder and double major in mathematics and economics was also an Academic All-MWC selection last year.
Nepa is a defender and helped the Foresters limit opponents to just one goal during the eight-game MWC season and 15 in 19 contests overall. She is majoring in business and joined the others as Academic All-MWC honorees last year.
Academic All-District® honorees advance to the CSC Academic All-America® ballot. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America® honorees will be announced in early December.
College Sports Communicators Release
