ST. LOUIS – Illinois State soccer's Ashley Santos headlined the 2020-21 Missouri Valley Conference Women's Soccer Scholar-Athlete Team, as the senior was named the Scholar-Athlete of the Year, as announced by the conference office on Thursday afternoon. Three other Redbirds also received honors, with redshirt senior Abby Basler joining Santos on First Team and fellow seniors Alissa Ramsden and Sarah LaFayette picking up Honorable Mention recognition.
Santos, a native of Falls Church, Va. who carries a 4.00 grade point average in Mathematics, was one of seven MVC student-athletes nominated to carry a perfect GPA. The midfielder was named to First Team for the second year in a row, as the Redbirds have now earned the Scholar-Athlete of the Year title in consecutive seasons as well (former Redbird Kate Del Fava held the title during the 2019 campaign). A three-time All-MVC selection, Santos started in all 12 games this year, playing in all but 30 minutes the entire season, netting three goals to total six points.
Basler, a redshirt senior from St. Louis, was also named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team, owning a 3.89 GPA in Elementary Education. Basler is a three-time All-MVC selection and led the team this spring in nearly every offensive category, including goals (4), assists (3), points (11), shots (43) and shots on goal (20). The midfielder finished her career ranked top-10 at ISU in assists (6th, 16 assists), points (T-8th, 52 points) and goals (9th, 18 goals). This is Basler's second appearance on the Scholar-Athlete Team as the redshirt senior was previously recognized as Honorable Mention during the 2018 campaign.
LaFayette, a Normal, Ill. native, was selected to the MVC Scholar-Athlete Honorable Mention Team as the senior holds a 3.84 GPA while majoring in Exercise Science. The forward played in 10 matches this year while getting the start in eight, tallying two goals to finish with four points during the spring 2021 campaign. LaFayette took 33 shots on the year, placing 18 of them on frame (.545 SOG%).
Ramsden, a senior from Wadsworth, Ill., also received a Scholar-Athlete Honorable Mention nod, carrying a 3.76 GPA in Statistics and Economics. Ramsden started in all 12 matches this year, playing in every single minute of the 2021 spring campaign at center back. The senior anchored a defense that posted four shutouts, all occurring in Valley play.
The criteria for the Scholar-Athlete Team parallels the CoSIDA standards for Academic All-America voting. Nominees must be starters or important reserves with at least a 3.30 cumulative GPA (on a 4.00 scale). Also, students must have participated in at least 75 percent of the regular season matches or played in the MVC Tournament. Student-athletes must have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at their institution (true freshmen and redshirt freshmen not eligible) and must have completed at least one full academic year at their institution. Sport Information Directors at MVC institutions voted for the team. A total of 63 student-athletes med the criteria for the award.
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