NOTRE DAME, Ind. - Saint Mary's College Soccer senior Mary Kaczynski (South Bend, IN) and sophomore Claire Keely (Acworth, GA) were named College Sports Communicators Academic All-District for NCAA Division III. This is Kaczynski's third straight year receiving the honor while this is Keely's first.
To be eligible for the CSC Academic All-District Award, the student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with legitimate athletic credentials and at least a 3.5 cumulative grade point average (4.0 scale). They must have reached a sophomore athletic and academic standing at the institution and must have completed at least one full academic year at the institution.
Kaczynski, the nursing major and biology minor, scored two goals this season for the Belles including the game winning goal against Manchester University, her other goal came in the match against Hiram College. She played in 16 of the team's 17 matches and started in 15. She also recorded one assist on the season and was fifth on the team in points with five. Kaczynski finished her career playing in 62 games for Saint Mary's and starting in 49, she scored seven goals and tallied three assists totalling 17 points across four seasons.
Keely, a physics and environmental engineering major, was a key player in defense for the Belles this season. Keely and the Belles defense tallied six shutouts this season, three coming in MIAA play.
The Belles as a team finished the year with a 7-9-1 overall record and a 2-5-1 MIAA record, finishing in sixth place and earning their first postseason appearance since 2008.