OVERLAND PARK, Kan. – Four of the 30 women’s soccer candidates for the 2019 Senior CLASS Award hail from BIG EAST schools as Georgetown’s Paula Germino-Watnick and Meaghan Nally, Creighton’s Taryn Jakubowski and Xavier’s Samantha Dewey were recognized on Monday. To be eligible for the award, a student-athlete must be classified as an NCAA Division I senior and have notable achievements in four areas of excellence: community, classroom, character and competition. The complete list of candidates follows this release.
An acronym for Celebrating Loyalty and Achievement for Staying in School®, the Senior CLASS Award focuses on the total student-athlete and encourages students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact as leaders in their communities.
Germino-Watnick and Nally were named to the MAC Hermann Trophy Watch List earlier this season. Both Hoyas were also named to the Preseason All-BIG EAST Team and Nally was named the Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. They have started in all nine games this season and Germino-Watnick leads the Blue & Gray with 14 points from four goals and six assists. Nally has four points on the season from a goal and a pair of helpers.
During the spring of 2019, Taryn Jakubowski posted a 4.0 GPA to raise her cumulative mark to 3.81 over her first three years at Creighton. She also posted a 3.89 during her competition season in the fall of 2018. Jakubowski was an All-BIG EAST First Team selection following the 2018 season and was a unanimous choice for the 2019 preseason honor. She led Creighton in points and goals scored in each of her last two seasons.
Dewey, who earned the honor of 2018 BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year, has been a consistent force on offense during her Xavier career, leading the Musketeers in points in each of her three full seasons leading into 2019. Through 10 matches in 2019, Dewey has lived up to her billing as the Preseason BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year, leading the conference with 21 points to help the Musketeers to a 7-1-2 record. Dewey's nomination, along with Xavier men's soccer's Samson Sergi's nod, makes Xavier one of three schools that has both a male and a female candidate in 2019 (Bowling Green, Memphis, Xavier).
Each of the 30 women’s soccer candidates has displayed a strong work ethic in the classroom and on the pitch. Outside of academics and athletics, all candidates also have been consistently involved in community service on their campus or in their communities.
The candidate class will be narrowed to 10 finalists midway through the regular season, and those 10 names will be placed on the official ballot. Ballots will be distributed through a nationwide voting system to media, coaches and fans, who will select one male candidate and one female candidate who best exemplifies excellence in the four Cs of community, classroom, character and competition. ?
The Senior CLASS Award winners will be announced during the 2019 NCAA Men’s and Women’s College Cup® championships in December.
Women's Soccer Candidates
Kristen Amarikwa, San Jose State
Abby Carchio, Brown
Katie Cousins, Tennessee
Kaylee Dao, Oklahoma
Kaylee Davis, Texas State
Kate Del Fava, Illinois State
Samantha Dewey, Xavier
Serena Dolan, Memphis
Taylor Dorado, Siena
Jessie Fleming, UCLA
Sydney Fortson, Navy
Paula Germino-Watnick, Georgetown
Andrea Hauksdottir, South Florida
Kelcie Hedge, Santa Clara
Noelle Higginson, Yale
Cyera Hintzen, Texas
Grace Jackson, Vanderbilt
Taryn Jakubowski, Creighton
Jess Johnson, Monmouth
Aleah Kelley, UC Irvine
Maureen Kennedy, Bowling Green
Alli Klug, Saint Louis
Heather Martin, Texas State
Mandy McGlynn, Virginia Tech
Sinclaire Miramontez, Nebraska
Meaghan Nally, Georgetown
Sarah Segan, William & Mary
Abby Small, UMKC
Evelyne Viens, South Florida
Ally Watt, Texas A&M