May 22, 2009
SFU’s Erin Reifsteck Named To ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 2 First Team
LORETTO, Pa. – Recently graduated Saint Francis field hockey player Erin Reifsteck (Battle Creek, Mich. / Battle Creek) has been named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District 2 At-Large First Team, which was announced by the College Sports Information Directors of American (CoSIDA) on Thursday.
By being named to the program’s first team, Reifsteck advances to the national ballot for ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America consideration. The former Red Flash goalkeeper was named a third team ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American in 2008, and is one of 33 student-athletes to receive the honor in school history.
Reifsteck graduated with a 3.99 grade-point-average (GPA) in Psychology, and spent four years as Saint Francis’ starting goalkeeper. She was a three-year team captain while excelling on the field. She finished as the school’s all-time leader in wins, saves, saves per game and save percentage. Reifsteck concluded her career by ranking second in the nation in saves per game (8.83) and 25th in save percentage (.740), and was named to the all-Northeast Conference Second Team.
During her senior campaign, Reifsteck picked up the school’s first-ever shutout in a 3-0 victory over Siena. She won nine games as a member of the Red Flash after coming to a program that had just one victory in its previous four years of existence.
Off of the field, Reifsteck was an active leader and supporter in the community. She served as the President of Saint Francis’ Student-Athlete Advisory Committee during 2008, and was a three-year member. She was a two-year APPLE Conference representative, and spent 2007-08 on the SFU Leadership Council.
Reifsteck made it on to Saint Francis’ Dean’s List every semester, and had a 4.0 GPA in seven of eight semesters. As a junior, she was named to the Northeast Conference All-Tournament Team after leading the Red Flash to their first-ever conference tournament.
To be eligible for the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America award, a student-athlete must be a varsity starter or key reserve, maintain a cumulative GPA of 3.30-or-better on a scale of 4.0, have reached sophomore athletic and academic standing at his/her current institution and be nominated by his/her sports information director. Since the program’s inception in 1952, CoSIDA has bestowed Academic All-America honors on more than 14,000 student-athletes in Divisions I, II, III and NAIA covering all NCAA Championship sports.
CoSIDA selects Academic All-America teams in 12 programs: football, women’s volleyball, men’s soccer, women’s soccer, men’s basketball, women’s basketball, baseball, softball, men’s track & field/cross country, women’s track & field/cross country, men’s at-large and women’s at-large.
For more information about the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-America Teams program, visit www.cosida.com.