Dec. 31, 2008

CHAMPAIGN, Ill. - Senior midfielder Marti Desjarlais was named a Scholar All-American by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America and Adidas, as she earned a 3.73 GPA in accountancy, the No. 2 program in the nation according to U.S. News and World Report. It marks the second year in a row and fifth time in program history that Illinois has had at least one representative earn the accolades, all coming during the tenure of head coach Janet Rayfield.

Desjarlais not only has been a constant in the midfield for the Illini during her four seasons, but also she has consistently excelled in the classroom. The Pewaukee, Wis., native collected Academic All-Big Ten honors twice, is a two-time George Huff Award winner and also earned CoSIDA/ESPN the Magazine All-District honors earlier this year. This season, she started 20 matches and was the team's third-leading scorer.

Desjarlais is one of three Big Ten representatives selected this year, along with Penn State's Zoe Bouchelle and Jessie Davis, all of whom earned second-team honors. Last season, a pair of Illini earned the honors, as Mary Therese McDonnell and Kara Gostisha earned second and third-team accolades, respectively. Former Illini Christen Karniski is the only two-time honoree, as she was a Scholar All-American in 2004 and 2005.