Suffolk University’s Alexandra Nagri has topped the charts as one of the most prominent student-athletes the university has to offer. The senior joined only six other Rams as recipients of the College Sports Information Directors Association (CoSIDA) Academic All-District award.

Only nine times has the CoSIDA honor been given to a Suffolk student, etching Nagri into the record books, once again.

Nagri, a finance and accounting major, has made waves across the Suffolk community and now has been recognized, not only for her athletic ability, but for her academic success as well. A co-captain of the women’s soccer team, Nagri recently reached the upper echelons of student-athlete success, as she became the first Lady Ram from the soccer program to be awarded the prestigious honor for the first time in the program’s 11-year history.

“I’ve been playing with [Nagri] since freshman year, and I’ve been watching her grow and improve as a player each year, which in turn helps the team as a whole grow and improve,” said senior midfielder Erika Nelson in a recent interview with The Suffolk Journal. “She brought great leadership to the team as a captain both her junior and senior year.”

As one of 14 NCAA Division III players in the New England region honored for a combined excellence of academics and athleticism with a first-team District 1 recognition, Nagri has not faltered in terms of focusing on what is important.

“Getting honors like this academic-based one at the end of my senior year just shows that I put a lot of hard work and dedication into the sports themselves, but also my academics and that is very important to me,” said Nagri in a recent interview with The Journal.

According to Suffolk’s Sports Information Director (SID), Amy Barry, in a recent interview with The Journal, eligible students are nominated by a university’s SID and must have a minimum GPA of 3.3, play in 50 percent of the season’s games and have at least a sophomore standing.

“When student-athletes are recognized for their achievements inside the classroom it proves that the department’s dedication to the true definition of Division III student-athletes: student first, athlete second; is in its true form and we, as a department, could not be more proud of excelling in academics and athletics,” said Barry.

Nagri’s feats at Suffolk have included two-time All-Great Atlantic Northeast Conference second team honors as well as being the first Ram to score more than 100 points in her career.

“Just to have your name appear in any record book is really cool,” said Nagri. “It just shows that

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Hard work eventually pays off in the end

— Alexandra Nagri

She now adds the CoSIDA award to her resume, which has placed her as one of the two most successful players in Suffolk women’s soccer history.

“It’s not an award that they give out easily,” said Director of Athletics Cary McConnell to the The Journal in an interview on Tuesday. “You really have to earn it by performing at a high level in the classroom and by also being a terrific player on the field. I think it just speaks volumes to the quality of the student-athletes we have here in the classroom.”

Nagri attributed some of her success to the support from the athletic department and her teammates.

“The ‘never give up’ attitude and energy she portrays on the field is contagious and encourages the rest of the team to give it their all every game. I couldn’t think of anyone more deserving of the award,” said Nelson.