GALESBURG, Ill. — The College Sports Communicators announced its Academic All-District Teams for women's soccer across each of the NCAA Divisions and NAIA, and Knox College had three players earn recognition for Division III in juniors Avery Leigh and Julia Maron, along with sophomore Emily Jacobs.

An environmental science major from Sauk City, Wisconsin, Leigh started all 17 games on defense for the Prairie Fire. She played an instrumental role in helping Knox record three shutouts throughout the year, including two against conference foes Illinois College and Cornell College. In three years on the team, Leigh has played in 47 out of a possible 48 matches, starting 45 times. She is also a two-time member of the Academic All-Midwest Conference Fall Team

Maron also played in all 17 games this fall, starting on defense in 13 of them. The native of Jundiai, Brazil, is a double-major in creative writing and psychology tied for third on the squad with six shots on goal and was another cog in the defensive machine that recorded three shutouts. Last winter, Maron received a first-place award in Division D (enrollment up to 3,000) from the Illinois College Press Association for in-depth reporting of a news story she co-wrote. 

Another defender, Jacobs has started every game of her career the last two years. Hailing from Fountain, Colorado, she has yet to declare a major, but she certainly declared her devotion to stopping the opposition by consistently running down loose balls with her exceptional speed, denying many attackers on numerous opportunities throughout the season. Jacobs was a member of the Academic All-Midwest Conference Fall Team last year.

To be considered for Academic All-District honors, a soccer player must be in at least a sophomore academically and athletically, have a cumulative GPA of at least 3.5 on a 4.0 scale and have played in at least 90 percent of their team's games or started at least 66 percent of the contests.