The South Dakota State women’s soccer team was recognized for the second consecutive year as a recipient of the United Soccer Coaches Team Pinnacle Award, the organization announced Wednesday. The Jackrabbits were the only Division I program to claim the honor and just one of seven college teams in the entire nation to be listed for the 2021-22 academic year.
The Team Pinnacle Award honors programs that have achieved a high level of fair play, educational excellence and success on the pitch. To be considered for the award at the college level, teams must have achieved College Team Academic Award recognition and recorded a winning percentage of .750 or higher. They also must have received either the Platinum, Gold, Silver or Bronze version of the College Team Ethics and Sportsmanship Award.
The 2021 Jackrabbit squad completed one of its best seasons in program history by going 17-4-1 and winning The Summit League Conference tournament championship. The Jacks advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time and were led by a slew of award winners a season ago including current standouts Jocelyn Tanner (2021 Summit League Goalkeeper of the Year), Avery Murdzek (2021 Newcomer of the Year), Maya Hansen (2021 All-Summit League First Team) and Rachel Preston (2021 All-Summit League Second Team).
“It’s a huge testament to our players,” SDSU head coach Brock Thompson said. “I think the award itself is the definition of what we have strived for Jackrabbit soccer to about. Excellence on the field, in the classroom and within our culture. I’m very honored that we’ve been a Team Pinnacle Award recipient two years in a row and to be the only Division I team this year speaks volumes.”
The Jackrabbit squad has continued the program success in 2022. SDSU currently stands at 11-0-5 overall and is the lone undefeated women’s team remaining at the Division I level. The Jacks have now earned double-digit wins all six seasons Thompson has been at the helm and extended a streak of double-digit win campaigns to a decade.
