DePaul University Athletics
Ben, Reed Honored on NSCAA Scholar All-America Team
12/15/2016 12:00:00 AM | WOMEN'S SOCCER
NSCAA Scholar All-America Team 
CHICAGO - A successful season got even better on Thursday with a pair of national awards for the DePaul women's soccer program.
Alexa Ben and Abby Reed were selected to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Scholar All-America Team as Ben was named to the second team and Reed to the third team.
They become the fifth and sixth Blue Demons to be honored on an academic All-American team. Ben becomes the first dual All-American women's soccer player in school history as the junior midfielder was named to the NSCAA All-America Second Team on Dec. 2.
"It's really surreal," said Ben, a public relations and advertising major with a 3.59 grade-point average. "When I was looking at schools, academics are real important to me and I thought DePaul would give me the best in academics and soccer. I'm grateful for the coaches, the program and the academics.
"This is a very high honor, and I attribute a lot of it to coach Erin Chastain for wanting us to do well on the field and in the classroom. In our meetings with her, she is always asking about our grades. She knows that soccer won't always be here and it's critical to get a good education.
"What also helps is having teammates who really care about school. They are always striving and pushing me to be the best I can be."
No matter how long she coaches and how many titles she wins, Chastain will always have a special place for her first dual All-American.
"That is really incredible," Chastain said. "It is so hard to become an All-American, and only 40 players from the entire country received that honor. Being recognized at the top of an elite level both athletically and academically is unbelievable.
"This is a real credit to Alexa for being so committed to her schoolwork and at the same time excelling on the soccer field to help our team. I couldn't be prouder of her accomplishment and the recognition she is bringing to our program."
In 2015, Elise Wyatt was a CoSIDA Academic All-America First Team selection and a third team NSCAA Scholar All-American. In 2014, Rachel Pitman was Capital One Academic All-America First Team and Wyatt third team. Pitman and Wyatt also were third-team NSCAA Scholar All-Americans.
Erin Walter was an ESPN The Magazine Academic All-American third-team choice in 2004 and Erin Lough was a third-team NSCAA Scholar All-American in 1998.
The only other on-field All-American was Julianne Sitch who made the NSCAA/adidas second team in 2003.
"This is really awesome and such an honor," said Reed, a psychology major with a 3.72 GPA. "It's so exciting for me and the entire women's soccer program.
"To me, the most important thing is finding a balance between soccer and school. It's much easier when you are surrounded by other student-athletes who focus on the same things that I do.
"This is a nice accomplishment to finish off my senior year and definitely makes my college career so much more memorable."
In Reed's senior year, DePaul went 10-6-3 and won the BIG EAST regular season title before advancing to the semifinals of the BIG EAST Championship. The Blue Demons were No. 9 in the country in scoring offense and No. 11 in points per game. They were also No. 27 in goals and No. 30 in total points.
"I'm really proud of both of them," Chastain said. "Alexa and Abby both embraced the opportunity to get an education at DePaul and are so committed to academics and athletics.
"This award is representative of that, and their hard work on and off the field has really paid off with all the accolades they have received this season."
