Malasek earns PBC Scholar-Athlete award
Article By: Clark Leonard
University of North Georgia (UNG) women's soccer player Taylor Malasek was named the Peach Belt Conference (PBC) Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year at the league's annual meetings earlier this month.
The award is the highest individual honor given by the PBC to student-athletes and is chosen by the league's faculty athletic representatives. Malasek is the first UNG student-athlete to be named the PBC Scholar-Athlete of the Year.
"Taylor truly encompasses all of the ideals we have at North Georgia, and we could not be more proud of her being honored with this award," UNG Athletics Director Mary Rob Plunkett said. "This award is a testament to all Taylor has accomplished and is a perfect addition to her already illustrious career."
Malasek earned recognition as a top-30 honoree for the 2021 NCAA Woman of the Year award in the fall.
She graduated in fall 2021 with a 3.96 GPA, a degree in biology, and a minor in honors research and innovation. She played five seasons for the Nighthawks, taking advantage of the extra year of eligibility the NCAA gave student-athletes due to COVID-19.
Malasek finished her decorated soccer career rewriting the UNG record book in several categories. The Peachtree City, Georgia, native leaves the program with the most all-time points, goals, game-winning goals, shots attempted, and shots on goal.
Taylor truly encompasses all of the ideals we have at North Georgia, and we could not be more proud of her being honored with this award. This award is a testament to all Taylor has accomplished and is a perfect addition to her already illustrious career.
Mary Rob Plunkett
UNG athletics director
"Taylor had an amazing college career, displaying a fantastic attitude toward everything she did," UNG women's soccer head coach Kayley Ralton said. "It has been an absolute joy to be part of her journey, and I can't wait to see all she does next."
Malasek earned All-PBC second-team honors in fall 2021 after scoring seven goals, and she was also named to the United Soccer Coaches and CoSIDA Academic All-American third teams. She helped the Nighthawks reach the first round of the NCAA Division II tournament and was named to the United States Coaches All-Region Second Team.Over her career, Malasek is a two-time All-PBC first-team honoree and two-time All-PBC second-team selection. She won the PBC Freshman of the Year award in 2017. In 2019, she was named to the United Soccer Coaches All-American third team and All-Region first team while leading her team to the NCAA tournament, and that same year she won the PBC Elite 15 award for the highest GPA in her sport. She also collected numerous national and regional awards for her work as a student-athlete in the classroom throughout her UNG career.
Malasek was named to the President's List each semester at UNG except fall 2019, when she was named to the Dean's List. She also was named to the PBC Team of Academic Distinction and tabbed as a Presidential Honor Roll Gold Scholar several times throughout her career.
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