Baylor soccer senior defender Precious Akanyirige was named the Big 12’s Soccer Scholar Athlete of the Year, announced Friday by the conference office.
Akanyirige is the second soccer student-athlete in program history to earn the honors, joining Dana Larsen (2012) who took home the conference award in its inaugural season.
A biology major with an anthropology minor and a 3.79 GPA, Akanyirige has been one of the top defenders in the country in 2017 and anchored a BU backline that has ranked among the best in goals allowed.
Academically, Akanyirige is a three-time selection to the Academic All-Big 12 First Team, a 2017 CoSIDA Academic All-District honoree, a seven-time Big 12 Commissioner’s Honor Roll selection, and a five-time Baylor Dean’s List honoree.
After Akanyirige concludes her time at Baylor in the spring of 2018, she will continue her education career with her sight set on beginning medical school that summer.
The Pleasanton, Calif., native helped lead the Bears through its deepest run in the NCAA Tournament, advancing to the Elite 8 for the first time in program history, as well as earning the program’s third Big 12 title.
