UTRGV Women’s Soccer midfielder Linnea Eld has been named part of the 2023 Western Athletic Conference All-Freshman Team.
The list of honors was announced on Oct. 27 by the WAC.
Athletes who earned honors were nominated and voted on by the Coaches and Sports Information Directors in the Conference.
Eld said she felt grateful for being nominated and named to the All-Freshman Team.
“I wasn’t expecting it,” she said. “It feels amazing getting this award, like, the first year here. I just feel grateful for getting the opportunity to play every game and show what I can. Hopefully, I’ll bring this to the next season and that this helps motivate the whole team to continue growing and continue developing.”
Eld said the team worked hard during the preseason and it was hard for her to adapt to the heat in the Rio Grande Valley.
Asked what it took to achieve this award, she replied working hard and practicing almost every day.
“Hard work, discipline and also having a team that helps you and understands you and pushing each other,” Eld said.
The midfielder said she is grateful for the support she receives from her team and the coaching staff.
“Grateful for my team and that I got the opportunity and that my coaches are believing in me,” she said. “Being a freshman, obviously, that doesn’t mean that you are going to play as much, and I started every game and I am so grateful for that.”
Head coach Mark Foster said he is proud of Eld for achieving the honor.
“I’m just happy for her,” Foster said. “Blessed to get to coach such a talented young lady. She is the perfect example of what a student athlete should be and the type of student athlete we want at UTRGV.”
The Rider asked Danny Elizondo, assistant athletic director for Communications, how someone is named to the All-WAC Freshman Team.
Elizondo replied that at the end of the season, the WAC starts accepting nominations from the teams to go on the ballot to be chosen for awards.
“Coach and I sat down and we talked,” he said. “You can’t nominate too many players because not everyone is going to get chosen. You can kind of, like, steal votes from certain players on your team. You have to be wise about who you pick and we decided to nominate Linn for All-WAC and All-Freshman Team.”
Foster said he is happy to see that the other coaches in the conference also agreed with UTRGV’s nomination of Eld.
“Obviously, we believed in Linn’s ability,” he said. “It’s really refreshing when other coaches are backing up what you think about your players and voting for them. … Delighted that the other coaches see what we see in Linn.”
Foster also said he is joyful to have an award winner as this is his first signing class since he joined the program in 2022.
“To have an All-Conference award winner in your first signing class is great,” he said. “Hopefully, we can do that in every signing class. As coaches, if we can sign more talent like Linn, you’ll see our program get stronger and stronger in the coming seasons.”
Elizondo said it is great to have someone from the coach’s first signing class making the All-Freshman WAC Team.
“It’s a good sign of the program moving forward,” he said. “… To get somebody on the All-Freshman Team, that gives you a good foundation of the promise you’re trying to make.”
Elizondo said this is further motivation for Eld and the newcomers as the program tries to have more award winners on the team.
“It sets the Women’s Soccer program up for a good year next year,” he said.
