Conference Carolinas Quad Earn United Soccer Coaches Honors
GREENVILLE, S.C. - The United Soccer Coaches released the 2023 NCAA Division II Scholar All-Region and All-American teams and four Conference Carolinas student-athletes were recognized.
Three women’s soccer student-athletes and one men’s soccer student-athlete earned laurels. Forwards Alexis Scarpinato of Young Harris and Logan Parry of Belmont Abbey as well as defender Mia Muckenthaler, also of Belmont Abbey, earned All-South Region honors on the women’s side while Young Harris forward Pato Padilla earned region honors on the men’s side. Muckenthaler and Padilla each were also named Second Team All-American.
Muckenthaler is a junior defender with a 3.84 grade-point average majoring in healthcare and business management at The Abbey. She becomes the second women's soccer student-athlete in program history to earn Scholar All-America honors following Rachel Coutinho, who was honored in 2017. She was the Conference Carolinas Defensive Player of the Year and led a backline that led the conference in fewest shots allowed. Additionally, she was a first team All-Conference Carolinas selection and a CSC Academic All-District selection for the second straight year.
Padilla, a junior from Monterrey, Mexico, finished second on the team with 16 points on seven goals and two assists. He put 61 percent of his 41 shots on goal this season. The Mountain Lions won the Southwest division in their first year in Conference Carolinas and were the No. 3 seed in the conference tournament. Padilla was named second team All-Conference Carolinas for his efforts.
Parry is a senior forward from Greensboro who currently has a 3.6 GPA and is a biology major at Belmont Abbey. Following the conclusion of the Conference Carolinas tournament, she was among the nation's leaders in scoring with 19 goals and a pair of assists. She was a first team All-Conference Carolinas selection and earned a spot on the CSC Academic All-District team for the second time.
A senior from Kennesaw, Georgia, Scarpinato has a 3.68 GPA as a finance major at Young Harris. A second team All-Conference Carolinas selection, Scarpinato led the Mountain Lions with 26 points which tied for fifth-best in the league. Her 11 goals also ranked fifth in the league while she also had four assists.
In order to be eligible for Scholar All-American honors, the student-athlete must be nominated by their Head Coach and the coach must be a current United Soccer Coaches College Services member. Additionally, the student-athlete must be a junior or above in athletic standing and have at least a 3.40 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) throughout their career. They also must have played a minimum of 75 percent of games during the season and be an elite player as supported by playing honors (i.e., All-American, All-Region, minimum all-conference).
Student-athletes on this year's Scholar All-America Teams will be formally acknowledged for their accomplishments on the field and in the classroom at the United Soccer Coaches All-America Ceremony & Reception on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2024, at the Anaheim Convention Center in Anaheim, Calif., in conjunction with the United Soccer Coaches Convention.
The full men’s honors are available here while the women’s can be found
here.