Panaro to be considered for Academic All-America Team                                           

RINDGE, N.H. (November 9, 2011) – Franklin Pierce University women’s soccer senior standout Amanda Panaro (Rockland, Mass.) was named to the 2011 CoSIDA Academic All-District I Team on Wednesday for impressive accomplishments on the field and in the classroom. By being named to the all-district team, Panaro will now be considered for the Academic All-America Team, also sponsored by CoSIDA.

To be eligible for the Academic All-District Team, a student-athlete must be a starter or significant contributor and maintain a grade point average of 3.30 or higher. First-year student-athletes are not eligible for the academic team.

Despite missing nearly half the season due to an injury, Panaro tied for the team lead in goals with six in 2011. She leaves the program as one of the most decorated players in recent history, including picking up All-America honors in 2010 when she ranked among the top-10 nationally in goals and points.

Panaro has posted a 3.85 grade point average in her major of mass communications. She is heavily involved in several other aspects of campus, including serving as a broadcaster for the Ravens Sports Network and a tour guide for the University’s Admissions office. Her outstanding work in the classroom has been recognized each of her four years in Rindge. During that time she has been named to the Northeast-10 Conference Women’s Soccer All-Academic Team and the NE-10 Commissioner’s Academic Honor Roll. Panaro also was named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America Second-Team in 2010.

For more information on Franklin Pierce women’s soccer, please visit the team’s page at athletics.franklinpierce.edu(.) To follow the program even further, please visit Franklin Pierce Athletics on YouTube (www.youtube.com/FranklinPierceSports), Twitter (www.twitter.com/FPUathletics) and Facebook (www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceAthletics).