Photo by: Mississippi State Athletics
Waldner Named First Team All-SEC, Scholar-Athlete of the Year
November 03, 2019 | Soccer
by Brian Ogden, Assistant Coordinator/Communications
STARKVILLE – Senior MaKayla Waldner was named to the All-SEC First Team as a midfielder, the league office announced on Sunday. The Dexter, Missouri, native was also named Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Waldner led all SEC midfielders with 10 goals and was second in points (21) in the regular season. She leads Mississippi State in goals, points, shots and shots on goal. The Bulldog captain broke rewrote the MSU record book in her final season.
She now holds the career game-winning goals record (11) and is second in school history in career goals (28), shots (200) and multi-goal games (5). Waldner is tied for third in career points (59). She is one of five players in program history to score 10 goals in a year and posted the 10th 20-point season on record.
Her 10 goals ranked fifth in the SEC this season, and the Bulldogs were undefeated when she scored, going 6-0-2 in such matches. She ranked among the top 100 players nationally in goals, goals per game, points and game-winning goals.
"I went into this season with a mindset of I have to leave everything out on the field," Waldner said. "This is my last chance to make a mark on Mississippi State, my last chance to be Bulldog. At the beginning of every season, I write down goals for myself and for the team. This year my goal was to be named All-SEC as a personal goal, and a team goal I had was to make the SEC Tournament. Having that constant reminder in my locker, gave me that extra edge."
Waldner has excelled off the field throughout her career as well and can now add Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors to her extensive resume. The senior mechanical engineering major shared the award with Alabama's Nealy Martin and Missouri's Sarah Luebbert. Waldner was also the Bulldogs' representative on the SEC Community Service Team this year.
She boasts a 3.60 GPA and has earned SEC Academic Honor Roll recognition every year of her career. She is a three-time President's List honoree and has made the Dean's List twice. Last year, she won the Newsom Award, given to the player with the highest GPA in each sport at MSU.
"Being the Scholar-Athlete makes me feel very proud," Waldner added. "It shows the hard work I've put into it, trusting my studies and doing what I know I have to do to get a degree. It means a lot to me to say that, as a mechanical engineering student, I was able to get a Scholar-Athlete award."
Waldner is just the fourth first-team selection in MSU history and the first since Catalina Perez in 2017. The last Bulldog to be named Scholar-Athlete of the Year was Mallory Eubanks in 2017 as well.
Waldner extends MSU's streak of having a student-athlete in at least one sport win the academic honor to three years. In that span, seven Bulldogs have done so in soccer, men's tennis, women's tennis, women's basketball and men's outdoor track and field.
The Bulldogs open the SEC Tournament at 3:30 p.m. CT on Sunday afternoon against Ole Miss. The match will air on SEC Network.
For more information on the Bulldog soccer program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "HailStateSOC."
Forward: Anna Podojil, Arkansas
Forward: Channing Foster, Ole Miss
Forward: Sarah Luebbert, Missouri
Forward: Ally Watt, Texas A&M
Midfielder: Reyna Reyes, Alabama
Midfielder: Taylor Malham, Arkansas
Midfielder: Parker Roberts, Florida
Midfielder: MaKayla Waldner, Mississippi State
Midfielder: Jimena Lopez, Texas A&M
Defender: Haley VanFossen, Arkansas
Defender: Julia Lester, Florida
Defender: Grace Fisk, South Carolina
Defender: Maya Neal, Tennessee
Goalkeeper: Mikayla Krzeczowski, South Carolina
At-Large: Kayla Bruster, Georgia
At-Large: MA Vignola, Tennessee
Forward: Vanessa Kara, Florida
Forward: Kit Loferski, Florida
Forward: Haley Hopkins, Vanderbilt
Midfielder: Bri Folds, Auburn
Midfielder: Lauren Chang, South Carolina
Midfielder: Jyllissa Harris, South Carolina
Midfielder: Katie Cousins, Tennessee
Midfielder: Maddie Elwell, Vanderbilt
Midfielder: Grace Jackson, Vanderbilt
Defender: Brynn Martin, Alabama
Defender: Bryana Hunter, Arkansas
Defender: Anna Patten, South Carolina
Defender: Briana Alston, Texas A&M
Defender: Nia Dorsey, Vanderbilt
Defender: Ella Shamburger, Vanderbilt
Goalkeeper: Katie Lund, Arkansas
At-Large: Maddie Moreau, LSU
Reyna Reyes, Alabama
Anna Podojil, Arkansas
Sydney Richards, Auburn
Kouri Peace, Florida
Chloe Chapman, Georgia
Hannah Richardson, Kentucky
Maddie Moreau, LSU
Mo O'Connor, Ole Miss
Samantha Chang, South Carolina
Lindsey Romig, Tennessee
Katie Smith, Texas A&M
Grace Fisk, South Carolina
MaKayla Waldner, Mississippi State
Sarah Luebbert, Missouri
STARKVILLE – Senior MaKayla Waldner was named to the All-SEC First Team as a midfielder, the league office announced on Sunday. The Dexter, Missouri, native was also named Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
Waldner led all SEC midfielders with 10 goals and was second in points (21) in the regular season. She leads Mississippi State in goals, points, shots and shots on goal. The Bulldog captain broke rewrote the MSU record book in her final season.
She now holds the career game-winning goals record (11) and is second in school history in career goals (28), shots (200) and multi-goal games (5). Waldner is tied for third in career points (59). She is one of five players in program history to score 10 goals in a year and posted the 10th 20-point season on record.
Her 10 goals ranked fifth in the SEC this season, and the Bulldogs were undefeated when she scored, going 6-0-2 in such matches. She ranked among the top 100 players nationally in goals, goals per game, points and game-winning goals.
"I went into this season with a mindset of I have to leave everything out on the field," Waldner said. "This is my last chance to make a mark on Mississippi State, my last chance to be Bulldog. At the beginning of every season, I write down goals for myself and for the team. This year my goal was to be named All-SEC as a personal goal, and a team goal I had was to make the SEC Tournament. Having that constant reminder in my locker, gave me that extra edge."
Waldner has excelled off the field throughout her career as well and can now add Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors to her extensive resume. The senior mechanical engineering major shared the award with Alabama's Nealy Martin and Missouri's Sarah Luebbert. Waldner was also the Bulldogs' representative on the SEC Community Service Team this year.
She boasts a 3.60 GPA and has earned SEC Academic Honor Roll recognition every year of her career. She is a three-time President's List honoree and has made the Dean's List twice. Last year, she won the Newsom Award, given to the player with the highest GPA in each sport at MSU.
"Being the Scholar-Athlete makes me feel very proud," Waldner added. "It shows the hard work I've put into it, trusting my studies and doing what I know I have to do to get a degree. It means a lot to me to say that, as a mechanical engineering student, I was able to get a Scholar-Athlete award."
Waldner is just the fourth first-team selection in MSU history and the first since Catalina Perez in 2017. The last Bulldog to be named Scholar-Athlete of the Year was Mallory Eubanks in 2017 as well.
Waldner extends MSU's streak of having a student-athlete in at least one sport win the academic honor to three years. In that span, seven Bulldogs have done so in soccer, men's tennis, women's tennis, women's basketball and men's outdoor track and field.
The Bulldogs open the SEC Tournament at 3:30 p.m. CT on Sunday afternoon against Ole Miss. The match will air on SEC Network.
For more information on the Bulldog soccer program, follow on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram by searching for "HailStateSOC."
2019 SEC Soccer Awards
First Team All-SEC
Forward: Parker Goins, ArkansasForward: Anna Podojil, Arkansas
Forward: Channing Foster, Ole Miss
Forward: Sarah Luebbert, Missouri
Forward: Ally Watt, Texas A&M
Midfielder: Reyna Reyes, Alabama
Midfielder: Taylor Malham, Arkansas
Midfielder: Parker Roberts, Florida
Midfielder: MaKayla Waldner, Mississippi State
Midfielder: Jimena Lopez, Texas A&M
Defender: Haley VanFossen, Arkansas
Defender: Julia Lester, Florida
Defender: Grace Fisk, South Carolina
Defender: Maya Neal, Tennessee
Goalkeeper: Mikayla Krzeczowski, South Carolina
At-Large: Kayla Bruster, Georgia
At-Large: MA Vignola, Tennessee
Second Team All-SEC
Forward: Casey Wertz, AlabamaForward: Vanessa Kara, Florida
Forward: Kit Loferski, Florida
Forward: Haley Hopkins, Vanderbilt
Midfielder: Bri Folds, Auburn
Midfielder: Lauren Chang, South Carolina
Midfielder: Jyllissa Harris, South Carolina
Midfielder: Katie Cousins, Tennessee
Midfielder: Maddie Elwell, Vanderbilt
Midfielder: Grace Jackson, Vanderbilt
Defender: Brynn Martin, Alabama
Defender: Bryana Hunter, Arkansas
Defender: Anna Patten, South Carolina
Defender: Briana Alston, Texas A&M
Defender: Nia Dorsey, Vanderbilt
Defender: Ella Shamburger, Vanderbilt
Goalkeeper: Katie Lund, Arkansas
At-Large: Maddie Moreau, LSU
All-Freshman Team
Carlee Giammona, AlabamaReyna Reyes, Alabama
Anna Podojil, Arkansas
Sydney Richards, Auburn
Kouri Peace, Florida
Chloe Chapman, Georgia
Hannah Richardson, Kentucky
Maddie Moreau, LSU
Mo O'Connor, Ole Miss
Samantha Chang, South Carolina
Lindsey Romig, Tennessee
Katie Smith, Texas A&M
Coach of the Year
Colby Hale, ArkansasForward of the Year
Ally Watt, Texas A&MMidfielder of the Year
Jimena Lopez, Texas A&M Co-Defenders of the Year
Haley VanFossen, ArkansasGrace Fisk, South Carolina
Goalkeeper of the Year
Mikayla Krzeczowski, South Carolina Freshman of the Year
Anna Podojil, ArkansasCo-Scholar-Athletes of the Year
Nealy Martin, AlabamaMaKayla Waldner, Mississippi State
Sarah Luebbert, Missouri
Players Mentioned
F/M
/ SoccerSaturday, November 15
Saturday, November 15
Saturday, November 15
Monday, November 10