FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
S-55-02-03
Tuesday, November 26, 2002

Elizabethtown College Junior Megan Halladay Named Verizon/CoSIDA Academic All-American in Women's Soccer

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Elizabethtown College junior defender Megan Halladay (Wallingford, PA/Strath Haven) has been named to the third team of the 2002 Verizon/CoSIDA Academic All-America College Division Women's Soccer team, announced today after voting by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). She is only the second Etown women's soccer player ever to be honored as an Academic All-American and the second in as many years.

This was the second year in a row Halladay made the Academic All-District II College Division teams in women's soccer, but the first year she made the district's first team, which earned her a spot on the national Academic All-America ballot.

In addition to her academic honors, Halladay has made the All-Commonwealth Conference teams all three years of her collegiate career. She was a second team selection in 2000 and a first team member in 2001 in addition to this year. She has also been an NSCAA All-Mid-Atlantic Region team member in 2001.

She started all 20 of the Blue Jays' games in the backfield in 2002, and she recorded four goals for eight points. In three years on defense, Halladay has totaled 10 goals and one assist for 21 career points. A 2000 alumna of Strath Haven High School, she is majoring in business marketing with a minor in mathematics at Elizabethtown.

CoSIDA founded the Academic All-America program in 1952 to recognize collegiate student-athletes for their outstanding achievements in the classroom and on the playing field. Over the past half-century, the Academic All-America program has grown into one of the most recognized and prestigious collegiate scholar-athlete awards nationwide, honoring student-athletes from all NCAA championship sports.

The Verizon Academic All-America Teams are selected by a vote of the 1,800-member CoSIDA. To be eligible, an athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve and maintain a cumulative GPA of at least 3.20 on a scale of 4.00. Sports information directors nominate eligible athletes from their schools who are named to district teams prior to being voted upon at the national level.

The Elizabethtown College women's soccer team completed the 2002 season with a 9-10-1 overall record. The Blue Jays reached the semifinals of the Commonwealth Conference playoffs.