ITHACA, N.Y. — Six members of the Cornell women's soccer team were named to the Academic All-District Team, it was announced by the College Sports Communicators on Tuesday afternoon.

Senior Ava Laden, juniors Laken Gallman, Maddie Leroy, Sydney Malaga, and Cecily Pokigo, and sophomore midfielder Abigail Bishara were the Big Red sextet honored.

"The 2023 Academic All-District Women's Soccer Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom," it states in the release. "The CSC Academic All-America program separately recognizes soccer honorees in four divisions — NCAA Division I, NCAA Division II, NCAA Division III and NAIA.

"Academic All-District honorees are considered for advancement to the CSC Academic All-America ballot. First-, second- and third-team Academic All-America honorees will be announced in early December."

To be honored, student-athletes must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically and have achieved at least a 3.50 cumulative grade-point average. In addition to the classroom criteria, student-athletes must have competed in at least 90 percent of the team's matches or started in at least 66 percent of the team's contests.

Pokigo, a mechanical engineering major with a 4.13 cumulative grade-point average, finished the season as the lone Cornell player to have played every second for the Big Red this season. A force on the Big Red's back line, Pokigo was recognized for her defensive efforts early in the season when the Big Red held Marist and Syracuse to just 11 shot attempts over its pair of clean sheets. She was also named to an honorable mention on the All-Ivy team earlier this month.

Laden, a hotel administration major with a 3.66 cumulative GPA, finished the 2023 season in a four-way tie for the team lead in goals with three. Appearing in 14 games, 11 of which were starts, Laden notched her first goal against Marist on Aug. 30, which proved to be the game-winner in a 2-0 Big Red victory. She also tallied goals against Binghamton (Sept. 13) and against No. 14-ranked Brown (Oct. 21).

Gallman, another hotel administration major, has a cumulative grade-point average of 3.65 while concluding the season with a team-high nine points on the power of three goals and three assists. Having appeared in all 15 games and making eight starts, Gallman opened the season on a high note when she assisted on both Cornell goals in its season-opening 2-2 draw against Lehigh (Aug. 27), becoming the first Big Red player with a multi-assist game since 2014. Two of Gallman's three goals on the season came in Cornell's 4-0 victory over UAlbany on Oct. 17.

Bishara, an applied economics and management major with a cumulative GPA of 3.53, finished the season with a pair of goals while appearing in all 15 matches for Cornell this season and making 10 starts. In the season opener against Lehigh, Bishara potted her first collegiate goal before scoring in the Ivy League opener against Princeton on Sept. 22.

Leroy, another applied economics and management major with a 3.50 cumulative grade-point average, scored twice for the Big Red this season. Over 14 appearances, Leroy registered her first collegiate goal in the Big Red's season opener. She added her other tally in Cornell's 1-1 draw against Buffalo (Sept. 10).

Malaga, the last of the hotel administration majors, also has a 3.50 cumulative grade-point average and had a breakout junior campaign for the Big Red. Over his 14 caps, six of which were starts, Malaga finished with seven points (three goals, one assist), also finishing in the four-way tie with Laden and Gallman for the team lead in goals. Her markers came against Binghamton (Sept. 13), Colgate (Sept. 26), and in the season finale against Penn (Oct. 28).