UH-Hilo’s VerHage Named to College Sports Communicators Academic All-America Team

Post-season honors continue for the University of Hawai‘i at Hilo women’s soccer squad.

For the second consecutive year, fifth-year transfer Grace VerHage was named to the Academic All-America Second Team selected by the College Sports Communicators. VerHage boasts a 3.98 cumulative grade-point average while leading the Pacific West Conference in goals per game (0.786) and points per game (1.79), ranking No. 12 and No. 17, respectively, in all of Division II.

VerHage helped lead the Vulcans to an unbeaten regular season and claim back-to-back PacWest championships, this time winning it outright in the regular season finale when she netted her second career hat trick to defeat Azusa Pacific 3-1.

In 2021-22, VerHage was named to the Academic All-America Second Team while at Ferris State University in Michigan, where she earned a bachelor’s of science in finance with minors in international business and French.

VerHage and Daelenn Tokunaga, Jodi Lillie, Maisie Paulson, Filippa Graneld and Jacelyn Cambra were previously named as 2022 Academic All-District honorees.

To be named to the All-America team, student-athletes must have been a starter or important reserve player who played in at least half of the squad’s games with at least a 3.50 cumulative GPA and at their current institution for at least one full calendar year with the exception of graduate transfers.

Although VerHage is not a “true” graduate transfer — as she is using her 2020-21 COVID-19 pandemic eligibility exemption — her nomination is valid because she earned an undergrad degree at her previous institution.