Trio of Lakers Named to the NSCAA D-II All-America Team

Release courtesy of the GVSU Media Relations Department

KANSAS CITY, Kan.- A week after the NCAA Championship game, Grand Valley State women’s soccer juniors Ashley Botts (Beloit, Wisc.) and Chelsea Parise (Sterling Heights, Mich.) and senior Erin Mruz (Gurnee,Ill.) earned NSCAA/Continental Tire NCAA Division II All-America Honors as announced on Friday.

Click here for the release on the NSCAA website

Three schools each placed three players on the team: California (Pa.), the College of Saint Rose and Grand Valley State. Abilene Christian, Columbus State and Regis each had two representatives on the roster.

Botts earned her first NSCAA All-America first team nod after posting 20 goals and 11 assists on the season for 51 points. The Beloit, Wisc. native had six game-winning goals on the year and scored the opening goal in both the Regional Semifinal and NCAA Quarterfinal. Botts started every game this season and finished tied for the most total points scored in NCAA Division II (51) which ties her for fifth in the Grand Valley State’s single season record book. She tied for the most goals this season in the NCAA D-II with 20, which ranks her sixth in Grand Valley State’s history. A 2011 Daktronics All-America first team selection, Botts has tallied double-figure goal totals in each of her three seasons. The biology major with a 3.64 grade point average was recently named the Division II Women’s Soccer Capital One “Academic All-American of the Year”.

The junior goalkeeper for the Lakers, Parise earned a spot on the first team after being named to the second team last season. The heart of the GVSU backline, Parise pulled out two amazing performances in the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back shootout wins.  She owns 14 shutouts and finished the season ranked fourth in the nation in goals-against average (0.39).   The Sterling Heights, Mich., native was also named to the Capital One Academic All-District team for her performance in the classroom as a criminal justice major. Parise has only two blemishes in her three-year career and owns 44 career shutouts. 

Earning a second team selection, Mruz, a midfielder, closed out her career at GVSU with 45 career assists, which is now the school record.  Mruz finished 2011 setting the single-season record with 15 helpers and also tallied three goals, while leading the senior class to a four-year record of 86-3-10 and 91.9 winning percentage.  She was named to the All-GLIAC first team for the third straight season and earned Daktronics All-America status for the third consecutive year as well.  Mruz ranks eighth in the school record book with 93 career points. Mruz picked up her third selection with the announcement of the Women's Division II All-America Team. She is among 10 players to earn repeat selection to the squad.

* indicates repeat selection