Utah State campus briefs

WOMEN'S SOCCER: Three Utah State players earned National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) adidas Scholar all-West Region honors.

Senior defender Lindsey Smart was named to the third-team list, while fellow senior defender Sydne Garner and junior forward Lauren Hansen were tabbed to the honorable mention list.

Smart, a native of Sandy, Utah (Brighton High School), has a 3.81 GPA as a physical education major. This is the second-straight season for Smart to earn NSCAA adidas Scholar all-West Region honors after being a second-team selection last year. Smart started in all 21 matches this season for USU, tallying one assist.

Garner, who is a Kaysville, Utah (Davis High School) native, has a 3.45 GPA as a master of business administration major. This is also the second year in a row for Garner to be recognized with NSCAA adidas Scholar all-West Region accolades as she was also an honorable mention selection last season. Garner also started all 21 matches, logging two assists.

Smart and Garner anchored an Aggie defense that ranked tied for second in the Western Athletic Conference in goals allowed in league matches with seven, as well as sole possession of second in goals against average (0.84 pg).

Hansen, a Camano Island, Wash. native, is majoring in physical education with a 3.42 GPA. Last season, Hansen was second on USU with six goals, tying for the team lead with three assists to rank second on the team with 15 points. Hansen was second in the WAC overall for both shots (59) and shots per game (2.81), while in conference-only matches she ranked tied for third in both shots (33) and shots per game (4.12).

Head coach Heather Cairns and the Utah State soccer team also earned the NSCAA adidas Team Academic Award after posting a 3.22 grade point average, announced last November. This is the seventh-straight year that the Aggies have been honored with the NSCAA award.

On the pitch, Utah State ended the season with a 10-9-2 record, advancing to the WAC Tournament semifinal match. It is the fourth-straight year that the Aggies have won at least 10 matches in a season. With a 5-2-1 record, USU finished second in the WAC regular-season standings.