EVANSVILLE, Ind. – University of Southern Indiana Women’s Soccer senior midfielder Avery Schone (Galena, Ohio), senior midfielder Paige Vanek (St. Charles, Missouri), sophomore defender Charli Grafton (Sunriver, Oregon), and sophomore midfielder Peyton Murphy (Bargersville, Indiana) were named College Sports Communicators Academic All-District for NCAA Division I. All four earned their first CSC Academic All-District Award.
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To be eligible for the CSC Academic All-District Award, the student-athlete must be a starter or important reserve with legitimate athletic credentials and at minimum a 3.5 cumulative grade point average (4.0 scale). They must have reached a sophomore athletic and academic standing at the institution and must have completed at least one full academic year at the institution.
Schone, an elementary education major, registered three points on one goal and one assist in 14 starts and 19 appearances this past season for the Screaming Eagles. Schone scored USI’s goal in a 1-1 tie against Northern Illinois University on September 10. She totaled 12 shots with five on goal in 1,240 minutes played.
Vanek started 17 matches and appeared in every contest for USI during the 2023 season. She placed 11 of her 17 shots on goal at a .647 clip in 990 minutes of action. The civil engineering major scored her first career goal in USI’s 3-0 win against Lindenwood University on October 8 on Senior Day.
Grafton was an All-Ohio Valley Conference Second Team recipient in 2023 after leading USI’s defensive unit. She started all 19 matches and played in all but 21 minutes during the season, totaling 1,689 minutes of action. Grafton was OVC Defensive Player of the Week twice this past season. The centerback was part of Southern Indiana’s defense that posted six shutouts in 2023 and held opponents scoreless for 290 minutes during USI’s season-best six-match unbeaten streak in the middle of the conference season. Grafton also had an assist this season. The defender is pursuing a degree in nursing.
Murphy, also a nursing major, started every match for the Eagles this past season, playing 1,551 minutes. Murphy posted seven points on two goals and three assists while pacing USI with 33 shots and second on the team with 11 shots on goal. The midfielder ranked eighth overall in the OVC in assists and shots, and she was also top 10 in points, goals, and assists in OVC-only action. Murphy was OVC Offensive Player of the Week in mid-October after scoring a game-winning goal against Western Illinois University on October 5 and tallying a goal and an assist in USI’s win against Lindenwood. The sophomore received the OVC Medal of Honor in August.
All four Screaming Eagles were named to the Ohio Valley Conference Commissioner’s Honor Roll in August.
Southern Indiana concluded its 2023 season with a top-four seed and a quarterfinal appearance in the Ohio Valley Conference Women’s Soccer Championship Tournament. USI earned its second consecutive OVC tournament berth in the second year of the transition to Division I. The Screaming Eagles seek to continue to build and take another step forward in 2024.
