College women’s soccer: South Dakota State’s Kaycee Manding, Avery Murdzek named Scholar All-Americans

KANSAS CITY, Mo. South Dakota States Kaycee Manding and Avery Murdzek were honored on Friday by the United Soccer Coaches organization as NCAA Division I Womens Scholar All-Americans. Manding and Murdzek are just the second and third Scholar All-America choices for the Jackrabbit womens soccer program ever.

The duo was previously recognized as First Team All-West Region performers by United Soccer Coaches this fall for their efforts on the pitch. Manding and Murdzek also were standouts in competition as they were First Team All-Summit League recipients.

Murdzek was named to the Scholar All-America First Team which consisted of 13 student-athletes. She held a 3.61 grade-point average at the time of nomination and is a human biology major. She was The Summit Leagues Midfielder of the Year as she led the Jackrabbits in 2023 in scoring with 21 points behind eight goals and five assists.

Manding was named to the Scholar All-America Second Team. Manding was listed among five other defenders on the Second Team as she maintains a 3.80 GPA majoring in consumer affairs. Manding claimed back-to-back All-Summit First Team honors behind a team-leading 1,667 minutes competed this past season while scoring six points on SDSUs back row.

They each were also tabbed for their academic prowess by the College Sports Communicators organization this fall as Academic All-District honorees. Manding was tabbed to the Academic All-League Team by The Summit League.

The two make up SDSUs first Scholar Athlete All-America recognition since 2007 when Kelly Larson became the Jackrabbits first ever player to be selected. The Jackrabbits have had three Academic All-Americans picked by College Sports Communicators, most recently Jocelyn Tanner in 2022.

South Dakota State ended the 2023 season with a 13-4-3 overall record following a defeat in the first round of the NCAA Tournament at Nebraska. The Jackrabbits earned their 14th overall conference championship as a program in November. SDSU defeated Omaha on Nov. 5 for its eighth all-time tournament title and seventh as a member of The Summit League.