Mollie Pathman (Durham Academy/Durham, N.C.) and Adam LaPlaca (Glastonbury High School/Glastonbury, Conn.) have been selected as the 2009 NSCAA/adidas High School Scholar Athletes of the Year.

To become a Scholar Athlete of the Year, a player must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.75 or better (on a 4.0 scale), must have demonstrated excellence in soccer at the high school level and must have performed service in his or her community.

The two will be recognized along with the NSCAA/adidas High School Scholar All-America teams at the annual All-America Luncheon, to be held at Philadelphia’s Marriott Downtown on Saturday, Jan. 16, as part of the 2010 NSCAA Convention.

About Mollie Pathman
A member of the U.S. U-18 Women’s National Team, Pathman has been a member of youth national teams since the U-14 level. She has maintained a 3.96 unweighted GPA while shining on the pitch. A three-time NSCAA Youth All-America, she also earned both All-America and Scholar All-America honors for interscholastic play this year, giving her a sweep of the three available honors.

In three seasons playing forward at Durham Academy, she has compiled 99 career goals and 43 assists while earning the team’s Most Valuable Player award three times. The 2009 North Carolina High School Girls Player of the Year, she has enjoyed success while playing for Triangle Football Club, leading the team to a pair of Super Y League U-20 national championships and earning tournament MVP in 2008. She also is an active volunteer, working with Habitat for Humanity, at a community center in West Virginia and as a peer educator at Durham Academy. She has verbally committed to Duke University.

About Adam LaPlaca
A goalkeeper, LaPlaca started playing soccer when he was only three years old. At age 10 he started playing for the Oakwood Soccer Club, where he currently is a member of of the U-18 US Soccer Development Academy team. The starting goalkeeper all four years for Glastonbury High School, he was a captain during his junior and senior years and led his team to four state semifinals and two state finals.

His list of honors is considerable: four-time Connecticut Interscholastic Athletic Conference All-Academic Team, three CIAC All-Conference teams, three Hartford Courant All-State teams, two-time All-State, two NSCAA All-New England teams, and this year selection to both the NSCAA/adidas All-America and Scholar All-America squads. He has a 4.49 GPA and was a 2009 recipient of the AP Scholar with Honor Award and the Tink Henderson Book Award for Excellence in Writing. He will attend the University of Notre Dame next fall, where he plans to study psychology.

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