Midfielder Katy Frierson continues to earn awards not only for her on-field soccer performances with Auburn's women's soccer team, but also for her commitment to academic excellence.
Her coaches and teammates have taken notice.
"One thing that I admire about her is that she is business on the field and also in the classroom," said Lydia Townsend, senior forward. "Student comes before athlete, and she definitely has her priorities straight."
The senior in political science holds a 3.91 cumulative GPA and has been on the SEC Academic Honor Roll every year she was eligible.
She is also a member of the Phi Kappa Phi honor society and was named NCAA Women's College Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year in 2010.
"It's a pleasure really to coach her," said coach Karen Hoppa. "Obviously she's super talented, but she's also just a great kid. She's fun to be around and a terrific leader for this team. It's also a big challenge for us as coaches when you have a player at that high of a level. It raises our level of coaching."
Frierson, native of Homewood, has been playing soccer since the age of 5, and although she participated in other sports when she was younger, soccer became her preference.
"Naturally, I developed a passion for it and a love for the game, and so I continued playing and excelled in it, so I picked that over other sports," Frierson said.
The senior has a total of 22 goals and 29 assists and will serve as the team captain this season.
Frierson has earned a host of accolades for both her athleticism and leadership.
She was named a Soccer America All-American for two seasons in a row, one of five midfielders on the list and one of two players from the SEC.
She is also on the watchlist for the 2011 Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Award and a 2011 Lowe's Senior CLASS Award, which focuses on achievement both on and off the field by encouraging students to use their platform in athletics to make a positive impact in their communities.
"I try to lead by example, and I try to apply my commitment and my standards that I set for myself into everything that I do, and hopefully people see that," Frierson said.
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