Worcester, MA --- WPI women's soccer student-athletes Hailey Taylor and Kristen Garza have been selected to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District I team by the College Sports Information Directors of America (Co-SIDA).  Taylor earned second team accolades while Garza picked up third team honors.

Taylor was tabbed as a defender while Garza, who also was honored in 2008, earned her award as a forward.  The duo was reconized in the College Division, which is comprised of NCAA Division II and III and NAIA programs in New England, New York and Eastern Canada. 

Taylor sports a 4.00 GPA while majoring in chemical engineering.  She dished out a team-best seven assists this fall and added her only goal of the season in a 3-1 upset of Babson.  Adept at taking corner kicks, Taylor leads all backs in NEWMAC and is third overall in assists.    

One of just four sophomores of the 34 players to be selected all district, Taylor is a Charles O. Thompson Scholar and a member of Women's Industry Network.  She is secretary of WPI's chapter of American Institute of Chemical Engineers and also serves as a Crimson Key Tour Guide.  Taylor is a member of the outdoor track and field team and is the alumni chair of Phi Sigma Sigma sorority.

Taylor, who hails from Colusa, CA, is the daughter of Mike and Krista Taylor.  She played scholastically at Sutter High School

Garza continues to score goals at an eye-popping rate.  The junior found the back of the net 13 times this fall and already holds the WPI career goal scoring  mark with 38 goals.  She earned All-NEWMAC honors the past two seasons (2009 will be announced next week).  A native of Kingston, MA, she is the daughter of Deborah Garza.  She played high school soccer at Notre Dame Academy in Hingham.

She has also excelled in the classroom, earning a 3.72 GPA while majoring in management information systems with a minor in computer science.  Garza, who is also active on campus, serves as a Crimson tour guide, is a class board secretary and a member of Phi Sigma Sigma Sorority.

Garza was the recipient of the Coaches Award in 2008, presented to the outstanding female athlete in the freshman class and the Carolyn McCabe Award in 2009 presented to the sophomore female athlete who best exemplifies the high standards expressed in "The WPI Athlete."

This past season, the Engineers finished with an 8-11 overall record, including a 4-5 mark in the ultra-competitive NEWMAC.  The Crimson and Gray, unter the tutelage of 15th-year head coach Stephanie Carlson, stunned regionally ranked Babson on the last day of the regular season to earn a spot in the NEWMAC Tournament, where they fell in the quarterfinals to MIT.