RUSSELLVILLE, Ark. – On the strength of four regular season and four tournament championships in the first nine seasons of the league, SWOSU Women's Soccer has been named the Great American Conference Program of the Decade while nine Bulldog student-athletes earned a spot on the GAC's inaugural All-Decade Team.
SWOSU has won Great American Conference championships in 2012, 2013, 2016 and 2019 while bringing home the GAC Tournament title in 2012, 2013, 2017 and 2019. The Bulldogs have placed first or second in the conference in seven-of-nine seasons and they've made three appearances in the NCAA Division II National Tournament. Head Coach
Mark Persson has guided SWOSU to a record of 105-53-21 (.645) overall in the past nine seasons while winning 73.2% (64-19-14) of their conference games.
Over the course of the next few weeks, the Great American Conference will reveal All-Decade teams for the 13 sports for which the league sponsors a championship. The league will also announce a 'Program of the Decade' for each sports which goes to the team that earned the most points and highest percentage of points based on the league's two All-Sports trophies.
SWOSU's success during the Great American Conference era has come thanks to several standout individuals, nine of which earned a selection to the All-Decade Team. Earning a selection from SWOSU were forwards
Sandra Nabweteme (2016-19) and
Alimata Rabo (2016-18), midfielders
Josie Price (2011-12),
Sarah Wilson (2015-18),
Jessica Carbonara (2011-13) and
Olivia Butler (2014-17), defenders
Kira Bertrand (2011-13) and
Erica Brunet (2015-18) and goalkeeper
Courtney Flores (2013-16).
The original list of nominees consisted of players that met at least one of the following three criteria: earned an "Of the Year" award, named to at least two All-GAC First Teams or at least three All-GAC teams. The voting electorate consisted of GAC coaches, sports information directors, athletic directors, senior woman administrators and media members. The All-Decade teams consisted of all nominees named on at least 50 percent of returned ballots.
