EMU women’s soccer junior Megan Breidigan (Douglassville, Pa./Daniel Boone) earned a spot on the Google Cloud District 5 Academic All-District Team. The award recognizes her work both in the athletic and academic spheres at Eastern Mennonite University.
“I am so honored to be named Academic All-District,” Breidigan said. “Although I take pride in and care deeply about my sport, academics has always been my main focus while attending EMU. I really appreciate the emphasis that Coach Ted Erickson places on academic responsibility. My experiences at EMU as a student-athlete have shaped me into who I am today. I am grateful to the program for teaching me discipline, granting me valuable leadership roles, giving me confidence in my abilities, and allowing me to meet some of my best friends.”
Breidigan, one of four defenders on the all-district team, is a three-year starter in the Royals’ back line. She has helped Eastern Mennonite to 10 shutouts this year and 19 over her career. A junior Secondary English Education major, Breidigan also carries a 4.0 GPA in the classroom.
She has been a regular on the ODAC All-Academic Team and EMU Dean’s List, and is a Royal Ambassador for the EMU Admissions Office. Breidigan also serves on the leadership team for EMU’s chapter of Fellowship of Christian Athletes, is a member of Celebration Worship on campus, and has worked on numerous service trips through Mennonite Disaster Services.
Coach Erickson explained that Breidigan has willfully taken on a full plate of responsibilities as part of her collegiate education.
“It started off as a student-athlete,” he said, “and then transitioned into being a leader within FCA, managing social relationships and now a being leader on the soccer team. While wearing all these hats she has found success within the classroom as an aspiring Secondary English Teacher. On the field, Megan has started every game of her career and has been a strong piece of our defensive back line as well as a weapon on corners with her ability to win headers.”
The Academic All-District team is voted on by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). Breidigan is now eligible for CoSIDA’s Academic All-America voting.
The criteria for the All-District program states that a player must be of sophomore academic standing, be a starter or important reserve and claim a GPA of at least 3.30 on a 4.0 scale.
Eastern Mennonite is a member of District 5, which includes players from NCAA D-III institutions in Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Puerto Rico, South Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia.
Breidigan was one of just three women from the Old Dominion Athletic Conference honored on the 12-woman team from District 5.
Click here to see the entire list of Academic All-District Women’s Soccer Teams.