By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
COOKEVILLE, Tenn. – She's proved it on the pitch. She's proved it in the classroom. And now, she has the proper recognition for her success in both arenas.
Kaitie Shipley of the Tennessee Tech soccer team has been named to the Google Cloud Academic All-District® first team, the first Golden Eagle soccer player to take home the prestigious honor in a decade. The accolade, selected by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA), recognizes the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom.
Shipley, who was recently awarded as an All-OVC first teamer behind her outstanding play throughout the 2018 campaign, becomes the sixth different Golden Eagle soccer player to be named to the Academic All-District team. It is the seventh occurrence in program history, with Alexis Boyd securing the honor in 2002 and 2003. Kathryn Lally and Taren Brown were the last TTU soccer players to be recognized, both collecting the award in 2008.
A 4.0 student majoring in EXPW/Fitness & Wellness, Shipley is coming off a strong junior season as one of the anchors of Tech's back line. The Barrie, Ontario native was one of two Golden Eagles to play in each and every minute this season, accumulating 1,573 minutes on the pitch in 2018. Shipley's defensive prowess helped play a pivotal role for a Tech defense that finished tied for third in the OVC with six shutouts during the regular season.
The 5-foot-5 junior, who was named the OVC Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 9 after helping lead the Golden Eagles to back-to-back shutouts against Belmont and SEMO, was one of just three All-OVC first team defenders.
In the classroom, Shipley has been named to the Athletic Director's Honor Roll during each and every semester as a Golden Eagle, and has also been recognized on the OVC Commissioner's Honor Roll at the conclusion of both academic years at Tech.
There are 33 Academic All-District first team recipients in Division I women's soccer and Shipley is one of only 15 on the list with a 4.0 cumulative GPA.
Photo by Tony Marable