Monthly Archives: June 2016

SPRING ARBOR, Mich. – Receiving the highest athletic honor bestowed by the conference, Bethany Balcer (Hudsonville, MI / Unity Christian HS) has been named the 2015-16 Crossroads League Female Student-Athlete of the Year after piecing together one of the most decorated campaigns in Spring Arbor University Athletics history as a member of the women’s soccer program.   In a league that produced 46 All-Americans among its nine sponsored women’s sports and saw more than 1,300 female student-athletes compete during the year, Balcer earned the league’s pinnacle award following a season where she guided SAU to its first-ever NAIA national championship and was honored as the NAIA National Player of the Year – the first freshman to win the award since its inception in 1997.   “Bethany has the athletic tools that all college coaches want in their players,” said head women’s soccer coach Jason Crist. “She’s tall, fast, strong and athletic. She’s capable of playing anywhere on the field for us. Beth is great in the air and can absolutely hammer the ball with either foot. She is still improving and has not reached her potential yet.”   Dominant throughout the year, Balcer became the first women’s soccer player in…