Heather O'Reilly (East Brunswick, N.J.) of the University of North Carolina and Patrick Huffer (Boulder, Colo.) of Williams College have been named the 2006 NSCAA/adidas Scholar Athletes of the Year.

To be considered for the award, a player must have at least a 3.30 cumulative grade point average (on a 4.0 scale) throughout his or her career; start more than 50 percent of the time and be a significant contributor; have a nominating coach who is a current NSCAA member; and be either a junior in academic standing or above at the institution or be in the second year at the current school if a transfer student. Players selected to the first team of the NSCAA/adidas Scholar All-America Team then are reviewed by a committee, which then selects the Scholar Athletes of the Year.

They will receive their awards at the 2007 NSCAA/adidas All-America Luncheon, which will be held on Saturday, Jan. 13, 2007, in Indianapolis, Ind., in conjunction with the 2007 NSCAA Convention.

2006 NSCAA/adidas College Scholar Athletes of the Year

Heather O’Reilly
Forward, Sr.
University of North Carolina
East Brunswick, N.J.
O’Reilly becomes the first player from the Atlantic Coast Conference to earn NSCAA/adidas Scholar Athlete of the Year honors. A two-time finalist for the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy and winner of the 2007 Honda Award for soccer, she had 12 goals and 16 assists this season, leading North Carolina back to the NCAA Division I title. She also helped the U.S. Women’s National Team secure a berth in the 2007 Women’s World Cup while the NCAA Tournament was underway. The NSCAA National Player of the Week for Sept. 27, O’Reilly is a three-time All-ACC first-team selection and was a member of the U.S. gold-medal team at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games. She has earned a 3.40 grade point average in middle school education.

Patrick Huffer
Midfielder, Sr.
Williams College
Boudler, Colo.
Huffer has compiled a 3.93 cumulative grade point average with a biology major. A member of Phi Beta Kappa, he served as team captain and led the Ephs in goals for the third consecutive year, putting 14 balls into the back of the net. The NESCAC Player of the Year, he also earned first-team NSCAA/adidas All-America honors. Scoring three game-winning goals this fall, he helped Williams to a 14-1-2 record and a spot in the round of 16 in the NCAA tournament, where the team fell to eventual national champion Messiah in a penalty kick shootout.

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