Two volleyball players, two women's soccer players earn accolades

RINDGE, N.H. (February 5, 2015) – Four Franklin Pierce University student-athletes have been named to the fall 2014 Northeast-10 Academic All-Conference Team in their respective sports, as announced Thursday by the Conference office. Volleyball saw senior outside hitter Catie Swiderski (Rocky Point, N.Y.) and sophomore middle Aiden Garcia (Eagle Pass, Texas) selected, while senior back Gabriela Vieira (Sao Paulo, Brazil) and junior midfielder Kaycee Pereira (Ludlow, Mass.) were honored from the women's soccer team. The selected Ravens were among 88 student-athletes across seven sports honored by the Northeast-10.

To be eligible for selection to the Academic All-Conference Team, a student-athlete must fulfill each of the following criteria: (1) participated in at least half of the team's competitions as a starter or significant contributor, (2) achieved a 3.30 cumulative grade-point average (on a 4.0 scale), and (3) completed at least one academic year at his/her current institution. The teams are chosen by the vote of a committee of athletic administrators and Faculty Athletic Representatives.

For Swiderski and Vieira, it marks the second straight Academic All-Conference Team selection, while Garcia and Pereira earn the accolade for the first time each.

Currently sporting a 3.97 grade-point average as a health sciences major, Swiderski finished up arguably one of the best careers in program history in 2014, and she led the team in almost every offensive category this past season. She finished with over 300 kills on the season, which ranked fourth in the Northeast-10. Swiderski also ranked fourth in points (376) and sixth in points per set (3.72). Earlier this year, she eclipsed the 1000-kill plateau for her career, becoming only the sixth Raven to do so. Her best match of the season came with a career-best 24-kill performance at Assumption on Oct. 18. Her strong play finally earned Swiderski her first career All-Conference selection, as she landed on the All-Northeast-10 Second Team.

Garcia, who holds a 3.55 grade-point average as a health sciences major, was also no slouch on the court, backing up her strong freshman campaign with a selection to the All-Northeast-10 Third Team in her sophomore season this fall. She ranked among the top 30 in the Northeast-10 in many offensive categories, including 11th in hitting percentage (.273), 18th in kills (238), 24th in kills per set (2.36), 27th in points per set (2.81) and 28th in total blocks (47). Her most notable match came with a 23-kill, seven-dig, four-block outing versus Wilmington (Del.) on Sept. 20.

Carrying a 3.65 grade-point average as a marketing major, Vieira remained one of the top defenders in the league in her senior campaign. She earned her third career All-Conference selection with her second straight appearance on the All-Northeast-10 First Team, and added ECAC All-Star First Team accolades as well. Vieira captained a backline which allowed the third-fewest goals in the Northeast-10 (0.82 per game) and trailed only Saint Rose (0.38) and Adelphi (0.55). Not ordinarily concerned with offensive exploits, she had a special moment on Senior Day on Oct. 18 against Le Moyne, when she put away her only goal of the season.

Pereira, an education and psychology double-major with a 3.83 grade-point average, finished tied for second on the team in scoring this fall with 17 points on six goals and five assists, including a pair of game-winning goals along the way. The five assists were good for a tie for ninth in the Northeast-10, while her goal and points totals were both tied for 10th in the league. Pereira was one of four players in the Conference to score multiple game-winning goals this fall. Her keynote address came on Nov. 4, in the quarterfinal round of the Northeast-10 Championship at Southern Connecticut State, when she struck for the golden goal in overtime in the 104th minute, to send the Ravens through to the semifinal round.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics).