MERCED, Calif. – Six University of California, Merced women's soccer players have been named to the College Sports Communicators Academic All-District Team.
Senior defenders Preeya Singh and Kaeley Cariglio, senior midfielders Katy Flores and Lexi Wright, junior midfielder Lizzie Ledesma, and junior forward Elisa Garcia each earned the honor.
This is the third straight CSC Academic All-District award for Singh and Flores. Garcia earns the distinction for the second straight year.
The 2025-26 Academic All-District® Women's Soccer teams, selected by College Sports Communicators, recognize the nation's top student-athletes for their combined performances on the field and in the classroom.
UC Merced was one of four CCAA institutions landing the CSC max of six student-athletes per school.
Singh started all 18 games and played every single minute (1,620 minutes) for UC Merced this year as a center back – just the second player in program history to achieve Iron Woman status by logging every possible minute. Singh contributed to nine shutouts. Singh, a biological sciences major, has earned multiple academic accolades throughout her career and was a 2024 All-Cal Pac First Team selection.
Cariglio played in 14 matches with 13 starts and delivered an assist on the Bobcats first goal of the season at Western Oregon. She played 1020 minutes, going the full 90 twice. She is a management and business economics major and will graduate tied for sixth in program history with 70 career games played. She was previously a Daktronics NAIA Scholar-Athlete.
Flores started 12 of her 16 games played and logged 1,178 minutes. She played the full 90 minutes in eight matches. Flores is pursuing a bachelors degree in biological sciences and has been named to a number of academic award lists in her career. Also of note, she is a 2X All-Cal Pac First Team member. Flores finished tenth in program history with 69 career games played.
Wright, who owns a 4.0 GPA as a psychology major, scored a goal against San Francisco State and Stanislaus State to go along with an assist vs. Fresno Pacific. She finished second on the team with 35 shots, including 16 shots on goal. She played in all 18 matches and started 17 of them, logging 1190 minutes. Wright has one more year of eligibility.
Ledesma, who was also tabbed CCAA Honorable Mention, played all 18 games while earning 17 starts. She recorded 1,341 minutes and played the full 90 in six matches. She was fourth on the team with 13 shots. Ledesma is currently undeclared, wrapping up her second semester as a Bobcat.
Garcia scored a goal at Cal State Dominguez Hills. She played in 17 matches and earned ten starts, logging 905 minutes overall. She recorded 13 shots on the season which was tied for fourth on the team. Garcia has multiple academic awards and is working towards a bachelors degree in biological sciences.
UC Merced's six selections are tied for the most in program history, matching the 2022 campaign.
