LAKE CHARLES, LA- McNeese soccer Junior midfielder,
Rachel Palet, added to her accolades to her 2018 season after being named a member of the third team 2018 United Soccer Coaches NCAA Division I Women's Scholar All-South Region Team.
Palet, a Health and Human Performance major with a 3.90 GPA, makes the list of 36 members comprising of players from 13 different states and was one of only four members from the Southland Conference to be named to the squad. The team recognizes players for both their success on the field and in the classroom.
She adds to her honors after also being named to the Southland All-Conference and All-Academic teams.
Joining her is the junior forward Connie Awuku-Darkoh from Central Arkansas who also was named to the third team.
A standout in the midfield, Palet led the Cowgirls to a school record 13 wins this season and helped the team to an end of the season RPI ranking of 127, the highest in program history. In her career so far, she has started in every game that she has played in. This season she recorded career highs in assists (4), points (10) and equaled her career high in goals (3).
"We are very proud of Rachel," said Head Coach
Drew Fitzgerald. "Her excellence on and off the field are exemplary. She pushes herself to succeed in both and it shows. She is a very important part of our team and we are glad that both she and our program are being recognized for the hard work that our players have put in."
This was the second straight season for the Cowgirls to have a player on the United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-South Region Team and are the only team in the Southland Conference to have a player awarded in both years.
To be eligible for selection, the student athlete must be nominated by his or her Head Coach, have at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average her career, start more than 50 percent of all games and be an elite player as supported by playing honors, and plays for a current United Soccer Coaches College Services member institution.
The United Soccer Coaches Women's Scholar teams are selected by a national selection committee from all levels of the Scholar All-America program who then review both the academic and athletic accomplishments of the nominees and make selections for first, second, and third team recipients.
