SIOUX FALLS South Dakota State sophomore Katelyn Beulke and junior Lauren Eckerle were recognized on the 2024 Summit League Womens Soccer All-Academic Team announced by conference officials on Tuesday.
To be eligible for the Academic All-League team, a student-athlete must have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.30 (on a 4.0 scale), completed at least one full academic year at the current institution and participated in 50 percent of their teams competitions.
Beulke and Eckerle had standout 2024 seasons for a Jackrabbit soccer program that claimed its eighth Summit League Tournament championship while qualifying for its eighth NCAA Tournament appearance. They both also maintain 4.0 grade-point averages as Beulke majors in nursing and Eckerle is a business economics major.
A forward for the Jackrabbits, Beulke led the team with career highs in goals (9) and points (21), while she also had three assists. Beulkes goal and point totals each ranked second individually in the conference, while her four game-winning goals tied for a league best. She was named to The All-Summit League Second Team for her performance on the pitch during the 2024 conference schedule. Beulke scored two goals in SDSUs tournament title-clinching match versus Oral Roberts on Nov. 10.
Eckerle split time on the back line and in the defensive midfield for the Jackrabbits in 2024. A year removed from a season-ending injury to open the conference campaign, Eckerle played a major role in SDSUs title run. SDSUs team captain played the fourth most minutes on the squad competing for 1,584 minutes while starting in all but one of SDSUs 22 matches on the year. She had a goal and an assist for four points on the season as Eckerle was an All-Summit League honorable mention.
The two Jacks are both natives of Hugo, Minnesota. The duo represents a 12th straight season in which at least one SDSU player has been named to The Summit League All-Academic Team.
Nominations are brought forth by sports information directors from the leagues nine institutions that carry womens soccer. The #SummitWSOC academic all-league team is made up of the 11 student-athletes receiving the most votes with all ties standing.
Leave a Reply