SALT LAKE CITY – Five student-athletes from the University of Utah women's soccer team were recognized as Academic All-District selections by the College Sports Communicators on Tuesday, as
Kelly Bullock,
Devi Dudley,
Erin Gibbs,
Ava Hetzel and
Grace Watkins all landed on the list.
For Bullock, this is her second consecutive academic all-district selection and it comes after a year in which she didn't miss a match for the Utes and led the team in points with nine. Two of her three goals were game-winners, coming in Utah's victories over Washington and Gonzaga and she also topped the squad in shots. She accomplished all these things while double majoring Health & Kinesiology and Spanish and crafting a 4.0 GPA.
One of Utah's three 2025 team captains, Dudley was also on the academic all-district team in 2024. Her 2025 campaign included 18 starts, over 1400 minutes of playing time and six total shots. She played over 60 minutes during Utah's shutouts of N.C. State, Washington, Cincinnati, Houston and Arizona. In the classroom, Dudley has been pursuing a degree in Environmental & Sustainability Studies to the tune of a 3.71 GPA.
Gibbs held things down in net, serving as Utah's starting goalkeeper 19 times and recording five clean sheets. She totaled 47 saves across 19 appearances, including four in an Oct. 5 road shutout of Houston. Gibbs' 1710 minutes played were also the most on the roster and she was simultaneously putting up a 3.72 GPA while working towards a degree in Mechanical Engineering.
Another team captain, Hetzel also did not miss a match in 2025 and made 19 appearances in the Starting XI. Her 1705 minutes played was topped only by Gibbs and she played all 90 15 different times. Hetzel also ended the year with 15 total shots. Her hard work has also led to a 3.89 GPA as she studies towards a Masters of Science in International Affairs and Global Enterprise.
Watkins was a team captain as well for the Utes and racked up a team-high six assists. Four of those helpers came on game-winning goals and she assisted on both of her team's tallies in their season-opening victory over Gonzaga. Watkins is also in the process of pursuing a Masters in Public Health and her GPA stands at 4.0.
In order to qualify for an academic all-district spot, a student-athlete must have GPA of at least 3.50 as an undergraduate and as a grad student if they are taking graduate classes and must be at least a sophomore academically and athletically. Student-athletes must also have competed in 90 percent of their team's matches or started in 66 percent.
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