Dec. 21, 2007

FRISCO, Texas - The Stephen F. Austin Ladyjack soccer team capped a season of new highs Friday by recording another one. SFA placed a program-best five players on the Southland Conference Academic All-Conference team. The quintet includes three first-team selections and a pair of two-time honorees.

Juniors Jessica Cotton, Amanda Alders and Amanda Lackey were each named to the first team, while classmate Summer Bradfield and sophomore Erika Palmacci earned second-team recognition. Prior to this year, the Ladyjacks' best total on the academic all-conference team was four.

Cotton was one of just three automatic selections in the conference, by virtue of her recognition on the CoSIDA/ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District team. The defender from Pearland, Texas, started 19 games for SFA and scored three goals on the way to being named to the first-team all-conference list. She was a second-team academic all-conference honoree last season. Cotton carries a 3.677 GPA in interdisciplinary studies.

Alders is making her second straight appearance on the academic all-conference squad. She scored five goals and posted four assists to become SFA's all-time leader in goals and points, despite fighting through an injury-shortened season. The Colleyville, Texas, native is a three-time All-SLC selection and was named to the academic all-conference first team a year ago. Alders maintains a 3.50 GPA in business administration.

Lackey is another 2007 First-Team All-SLC selection, but is making her first appearance on the academic squad. She posted two assists from her defensive midfield position this season, as she helped lead SFA to seven shutouts, the fourth-best single-season total in program history. Lackey has been a part of two of the top four defenses in school history, having also lent a hand on the 2005 squad that posted a school-record 11 shutouts. Lackey, a business administration major from Humble, Texas, has a 3.508 GPA.

Bradfield earned a slot on the second-team with a 3.261 GPA in business administration. The Spring, Texas, product registered four assists as a midfielder this season, her third straight as a starter. Bradfield's four assists tied her previous season-best total and moved her into a tie for fourth place on the SFA career assists ledger.

Palmacci earned acclaim as one of the top offensive weapons in the league this season. She scored a team-best 14 goals to finish second in the SLC in both goals and points (28). That performance earned her a slot on the first-team all-conference list, and her 3.219 GPA as a food and nutrition major garnered the Plano, Texas, native's first appearance on the academic all-conference team.

The Ladyjacks went 13-5-2 this season on their way to an unprecedented fifth Southland Conference championship. SFA also swept through the SLC Tournament to earn the program's second trip to the NCAA Championships. The five academic all-conference selections come on the heels of SFA's program-best seven honorees on the All-SLC list.

-- SFA --