UTICA, NY - College Sports Communicators has announced their Academic All-District selections. The honors recognize student-athletes who find success not only on the field, but in the classroom as well. Of the 2,000 players nationally that get selected annually, eight of them represented Utica Athletics. All eight members are rostered on Utica soccer teams, six of them on the women's squad, and two of them on the men's.

The CSC Academic All-District team is an honor given by the College Sports Communicators to student athletes who excel both academically and athletically. To qualify, athletes must meet high performance standards in their sport and have at least a 3.50 GPA. Schools nominate their top student athletes, and those selected to the All-District team move on to be considered for Academic All-America. 

Hannah Pcola (Cassville, NY/Mount Markham), a senior goalkeeper, provided security as Utica's last line of defense. Appearing in all but two games, Pcola totalled 1386 minutes in goal. In her time, she earned a 7-5-5 record, and contributed to nine total shutouts, six of which were completed on her own. These results came from Pcola compiling a 0.867 save percentage, and 0.71 goals-allowed average. For her performance, she was named to the Empire 8 All-Conference Third Team.

Cora Kraft (Poughquag, NY/Arlington) was a key defensive player for the Pioneers since her freshman year, scoring All-Conference Third Team as a freshman and All-Conference Second Team honors her sophomore year. Kraft continued to show her strength in her junior season, starting all 19 games and logging 1,702 minutes for the season, a team lead. Offensively, Kraft contributed four goals and two assists for a total of 10 points, the highest of her collegiate career. Kraft earned her third consecutive All-Conference honors, landing on the Third Team in 2025.

Samantha Kogut (North Adams, MA/Drury), a senior defender for the Pioneers, has been a consistent presence on the field, starting all 70 games of her career totalling 5,782 minutes. This season, Kogut earned her first All-Conference Second Team selection, while also setting program records for games played, games started, and total minutes played. Kogut flashed her two-way ability by ranking second on the team with four assists.

Madison Wagner (Saukville, WI/Divine Savior Holy Angels), a sophomore forward, made a strong impact in the 2025 season appearing in 19 games, 18 of them starts, and logging 1,050 minutes. Wagner scored four goals and added five assists for a total of 13 points, placing her among the top offensive contributors on the team. With 30 shot attempts and 18 on goal, she showed consistency and ability to find goal scoring opportunities. Her sophomore season truly underlined her value as a forward for the Pioneers. 

Rylee Lamphere (Little Falls, NY/Dolgeville), a senior, has steadily developed into a key contributor for the Pioneers over her four years. During her senior season, she started all 19 games, logging 1,407 minutes, and contributing four goals and three assists for a total of 11 points. Lamphere fired 29 shots, 18 of them on goal, showing she was a consistent offensive threat from midfield. Her strong performance earned her a second team selection on the Empire 8 All-Conference team for 2025. 

Amber Piersma (Cassville, NY/Mount Markham) was the key standout of the women's soccer team. Starting all 19 games, Piersma led the team with 11 goals and two assists, nearly doubling the next closest Pioneer's point total. For her performance over the season, the E8 named Piersma to the All-Conference First Team.

Zachary Accetta (Rocky Point, NY/Rocky Point) stepped into the top goalie slot this season, starting 14 of 19 games for the team. In his 1183 minutes of play, Accetta played to a 6-3-4 record and played a hand in two shutouts, one of them solo. En route to this performance, he recorded a save percentage of 0.729 and a goals-allowed average of 1.45.

Brandon Pender (Brooklyn, NY/Xaverian) continued to be a crucial part of the Utica lineup in his senior year, as he had the previous three seasons. The defenseman and captain played in all 19 games, starting all but one of them. While not finding his way onto the stat sheet this season, Pender logged the second-most minutes played on the team in 2025. He concludes his career in the orange and blue by ranking 6th in total minutes played and 8th in games started.

Both the men's and women's teams turned in strong 2025 seasons, as each made E8 Conference Tournament appearances. The men made it to the second round, falling to #1-seeded SUNY Geneseo in penalty kicks. The women's season concluded in round one in a defeat by #4-seeded Hartwick. Both teams will now look ahead to fall 2026, when Utica soccer returns to action.