WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- Kristen Berndt, a junior forward on the Whitman College women's soccer team, has been named to the first-ever All-American Team chosen by the D3Kicks.com website.
Berndt, who has led Whitman in scoring in each of her three seasons, is one of only two players from West Coast named to the 11-member First Team. The other player is Katie Loomis, a junior goalkeeper at the University of California-Santa Cruz.
The D3Kicks.com website, which began its first year of operation in September, is dedicated to news about women's and men's soccer teams and players at 400-plus NCAA Div. III schools. All-Region and All-American teams were chosen based on nominations from sports information directors at participating schools.
Earlier in the D3Kicks.com selection process, Berndt was one of three Northwest Conference players named to the All-West Region First Team. The other two were Adrienne Folsom, a junior forward at the University of Puget Sound, and Susan Butler, a senior midfielder at Willamette University.
Two of Berndt's teammates, senior forward Sammie Arthur and senior defender Erin Frame, also received all-region honors this fall from the D3Kicks.com website. Arthur was named to the Second Team and Frame to the Third Team.
Berndt, who played prep soccer at Snoqualmie's Mount Si High School, topped Whitman in scoring this past fall with 12 goals and four assists, earning All-Northwest Conference First-Team honors for a second consecutive season. She finished second in the conference in scoring, and she twice received NWC Player of the Week honors. She also received All-West Region First Team honors from the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).
Arthur, a graduate of the Branson School (Ross, Calif.), was named to the All-NWC Second Team and NSCAA All-Region Second Team this fall. She had six goals and four assists this season while serving as a team captain for a second consecutive year. Despite missing several games during her junior season due to injury, Arthur finished her collegiate career with 31 goals and 10 assists.
Frame, a graduate of Issaquah (Wash.) High School, was a four-year starter on defense for the Missionaries. This past fall, she helped Whitman shut out five opponents and hold six other teams to just a single goal. She received All-NWC Honorable Mention recognition and was voted by her teammates as Whitman's Best Defensive Player for a second consecutive season.
The Whitman women's team finished in fourth place in the NWC this season with an 8-4-4 record.
In this fall's final West Region team rankings, D3Kicks.com placed Whitman in the No. 6 slot. The computerized rankings were based on a number of factors, including victories at home and on the road against other teams in the region. Victories were assigned greater value depending on the opponent's win-loss record.