Espoo, Finland, native named to College Division third team by CoSIDA committee

RINDGE, N.H. (January 2, 2007) - Franklin Pierce senior back Mia Makarainen (Espoo, Finland) has been selected to the 2006 ESPN The Magazine College Division Academic All-America Women's Soccer Third Team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA). The College Division teams are comprised of NCAA Division II and III and NAIA student-athletes as selected by CoSIDA's Academic All-America committee.

Makarainen, voted to the College Division third team, is the Franklin Pierce women's soccer program's eighth Academic All-American in program history and the fourth over the past three seasons. The honor is the first for Makarainen, who is one of just three student-athletes in program history to earn CoSIDA Academic All-District honors all three years eligible, joining former teammates Martta Makila (2002-2004) and Elizabeth Allen (2003-2005). Makarainen is also the lone Northeast-10 women's soccer player to earn a spot one of the three All-America teams this year.    

Makarainen has earned a 3.88 cumulative grade point average while majoring in management at the College. She is a first team All-District honoree two-straight years and has earned Northeast-10 Conference All-Academic first team honors three-straight years. Makarainen is a three-time NE-10 Commissioner's Honor Roll Gold Scholar and a Chi Alpha Sigma National Student-Athlete Honor Society member.

This fall, Makarainen was part of a Franklin Pierce defensive unit which ranked second in the Northeast-10 (27^th nationally) with a 0.76 team goals against average and nine shutouts. The Ravens tri-captain started six of the 12 matches she played during an injury-plagued final season.

Makarainen was a second team All-New England pick in 2004 and earned All-Northeast-10 honors as a sophomore and junior. She played 77 of a possible 92 matches over her four-year career at the College and totaled six assists for six career points from the backline.

Franklin Pierce (18-3-1, 12-2-0 NE-10), ranked sixth in the final regular season National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA)/adidas Division II poll captured its record seventh-straight Northeast-10 Conference Tournament Championship and record 11^th-straight New England Regional crown this fall.