ORANGE BEACH, Ala. -- The National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) announced on Friday morning that Spring Hill College women's soccer player Molly Cowley was named to the 2012 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar Athlete roster.

Cowley, a junior defender from Jefferson City, Mo., who is majoring in Elementary Education with a minor in Psychology, sat out the 2012 season with an injury, but started all 36 matches of the 2010 and 2011 seasons for Spring Hill. She is a two-time member of the Southern States Athletic Conference (SSAC) All-Academic Team and was chosen to the SSAC West Division All-Freshman Team in 2010.

Since the award was introduced in 1979, a total of 149 SHC student-athletes have received Scholar Athlete recognition from the NAIA.

This year a total of 492 women's soccer players were named 2012 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar Athletes. Nominated by each institution's head coach, a student-athlete must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale and have achieved junior academic status to qualify.