CHICAGO (November 10, 2021) – Five Loyola University Chicago women's soccer student-athletes have been named to the MVC Scholar-Athlete Team, announced Wednesday by the league office. The Ramblers' five honorees led all Valley institutions.
The senior pairing of
Maddie Hausmann (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) and
Abby Swanson (Downers Grove, Ill./Downers Grove North), along with junior
Megan Nemec (Tinley Park, Ill./Andrew), all earned First Team recognition. Graduate student
Katharine Stephens (North Aurora, Ill./West Aurora) and junior
Megan Demski (Hoffman Estates, Ill./Fremd) received Honorable Mention accolades.
A nursing major, Swanson has enjoyed another standout campaign for the Maroon & Gold, repeating as the MVC Defensive Player of the Year in addition to receiving First Team All-Valley honors for the third straight season. The Downers Grove, Ill. native has been the centerpiece for a Rambler defensive unit that sports a sparkling 0.57 goals against average that ranks 13
th nationally.
In her first season as Loyola's primary goalkeeper, Hausmann, who majors in finance, racked up a single-season program record 10 shutouts. Out of Naperville, Ill., Hausmann stopped a career-best five attempts in the Ramblers' 1-0 blanking of city rival DePaul on September 9.
Majoring in marketing, Nemec took home her second Valley Player of the Year award in as many seasons, also collecting First Team All-MVC distinction. The Tinley Park, Ill. product currently leads the Rambler roster in goals (8) and assists (6), with a team-high four game-winning tallies to her name.
A two-time Honorable Mention All-MVC selection for her career, Stephens closed the regular season with two goals and three assists before adding her fourth helper of the campaign in the Ramblers' 4-1 win over Drake in the semifinals of the MVC Championship last Friday. Out of North Aurora, Ill., Stephens, who earned her bachelor's degree in mathematics, levied the deciding strike in a 5-0 win over Valparaiso to close the regular season on October 28.
Rounding out the Maroon & Gold's quintet of honorees was Demski, who is pursuing her degree in exercise science. The Hoffman Estates, Ill. native has enjoyed her finest season to date in Rogers Park, racking up five goals and three assists, both marks which rank tied for second on the team. Demski has netted a pair of game-winning tallies.
The criteria for the MVC Scholar-Athlete honor parallels the CoSIDA (College Sports Information Directors of America) standards for Academic All-America voting. Nominees must be starters or important reserves with at least a 3.30 cumulative grade-point average (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 sophomores athletic and academic standing at their institution (true freshman and redshirt freshmen not eligible) and must have completed at least one full academic year at their institution. Sports Information Directors at MVC institutions voted for the team.
Fresh off completing its fourth straight sweep of the MVC regular season and tournament championships, Loyola (13-2-2, 7-0-1 MVC) heads to West Lafayette, Ind. on Saturday, November 13 to battle No. 24 Purdue at 6 p.m. (CT) in the First Round of the NCAA Women's Soccer Championship.
