Mens and Womens Soccer Account for Six CSC Academic All-District Selections
November 25, 2025
GOODWELL, Okla. College Sports Communicators announced the 2025 Soccer Academic All-District Teams on Tuesday, and three members of both OPSU men's and women's soccer earned the prestigious honor.
Men's Soccer Honorees
The Aggie men had three earn the distinction of Academic All-District, with Ayoup Bader receiving the nod for the second time in his career, while Nils Kienass and Calum Murphy both collected the honor for the first time.
Bader had a standout season on the pitch, starting all 17 matches en route to being named a Second-Team All-SAC forward. In addition to scoring six goals and two assists to lead the Aggie attack, the Zarqa, Jordan, native has excelled in his computer information studies on his way to having the highest upperclassmen cumulative GPA on the team.
Kienass spearheaded the best defense in program history in terms of goals-against-average, and he also scored two goals in his 15 starts. Thus far, the sophomore has also maintained a perfect GPA as a biology major.
Murphy, a junior business administration major, played in all 17 games as a starting forward for Panhandle State. He finished first on the Aggies with three assists, second with 16 shots on goal, and third with four goals as a key cog of OPSU's offense throughout the year.
Women's Soccer Honorees
The OPSU women also had three garner Academic All-District status, as Emma Daskalov, Toriana Holt and AlaraLynn Gunderson each became first-time honorees.
Daskalov, a forward and the program's all-time leading scorer, led the Aggies once again in 2025 with 13 points on six goals and an assist. She started all 15 matches for OPSU, and the academic senior has excelled in the classroom as an agricultural business & animal science major, twice being named an NAIA Scholar-Athlete.
Holt, who majors in information technology as a junior, played in all 15 matches while making 12 starts this season. The McKinney, Texas, native tied Daskalov with a team-best six goals, as an incredible 46.2% of her total shots found the back of the net, including one game-winning strike.
Gunderson started 12 games in goal for the Aggies, stopping 52 shots on a .722 save percentage. The three-year senior recorded one shutout and worked to a 6-5-1 goalkeeper record, while she has maintained excellence in her studies as a business administration major.
About the CSC Academic All-America Program
CSC Academic All-District honorees are nominated by their respective institution's sports information department for exceeding high standards both on the pitch and in the classroom.
To be eligible for the award, student-athletes must have achieved sophomore status academically, maintain a GPA of 3.50 or higher and either play in a minimum of 90 percent, or start in at least 66 percent, of his or her team's games throughout the season.
A select group of Academic All-District awardees advance for consideration on the Academic All-America ballot, something all six Aggies have done this year. The Academic All-America Team is voted on by members of CSC, and the winners will be announced on Dec. 16 (men's team) and Dec. 17 (women's team).
2025 CSC Men's & Women's Soccer Academic All-District Teams| OPSU Honors Page
Men's Soccer Honorees
The Aggie men had three earn the distinction of Academic All-District, with Ayoup Bader receiving the nod for the second time in his career, while Nils Kienass and Calum Murphy both collected the honor for the first time.
Bader had a standout season on the pitch, starting all 17 matches en route to being named a Second-Team All-SAC forward. In addition to scoring six goals and two assists to lead the Aggie attack, the Zarqa, Jordan, native has excelled in his computer information studies on his way to having the highest upperclassmen cumulative GPA on the team.
Kienass spearheaded the best defense in program history in terms of goals-against-average, and he also scored two goals in his 15 starts. Thus far, the sophomore has also maintained a perfect GPA as a biology major.
Murphy, a junior business administration major, played in all 17 games as a starting forward for Panhandle State. He finished first on the Aggies with three assists, second with 16 shots on goal, and third with four goals as a key cog of OPSU's offense throughout the year.
Women's Soccer Honorees
The OPSU women also had three garner Academic All-District status, as Emma Daskalov, Toriana Holt and AlaraLynn Gunderson each became first-time honorees.
Daskalov, a forward and the program's all-time leading scorer, led the Aggies once again in 2025 with 13 points on six goals and an assist. She started all 15 matches for OPSU, and the academic senior has excelled in the classroom as an agricultural business & animal science major, twice being named an NAIA Scholar-Athlete.
Holt, who majors in information technology as a junior, played in all 15 matches while making 12 starts this season. The McKinney, Texas, native tied Daskalov with a team-best six goals, as an incredible 46.2% of her total shots found the back of the net, including one game-winning strike.
Gunderson started 12 games in goal for the Aggies, stopping 52 shots on a .722 save percentage. The three-year senior recorded one shutout and worked to a 6-5-1 goalkeeper record, while she has maintained excellence in her studies as a business administration major.
About the CSC Academic All-America Program
CSC Academic All-District honorees are nominated by their respective institution's sports information department for exceeding high standards both on the pitch and in the classroom.
To be eligible for the award, student-athletes must have achieved sophomore status academically, maintain a GPA of 3.50 or higher and either play in a minimum of 90 percent, or start in at least 66 percent, of his or her team's games throughout the season.
A select group of Academic All-District awardees advance for consideration on the Academic All-America ballot, something all six Aggies have done this year. The Academic All-America Team is voted on by members of CSC, and the winners will be announced on Dec. 16 (men's team) and Dec. 17 (women's team).
2025 CSC Men's & Women's Soccer Academic All-District Teams| OPSU Honors Page
