EPYSA's Amber Brooks Named NSCAA/adidas High School Scholar Athlete of the Year

EPYSA's own Amber Brooks (The Pennington School/New Hope, Pa.), along with Ohio North's Jeremy Gray (St. Frances DeSales High School/Columbus, Ohio), have been selected as the 2008 NSCAA/adidas High School Scholar Athletes of the Year.

To become a Scholar Athlete of the Year, a player must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.75 or better (on a 4.0 scale), must have demonstrated excellence in soccer at the high school level and must have performed service in his or her community.

A senior at The Pennington School, Brooks has maintained a 4.11 grade point average despite missing 107 school days to compete with the U.S. Under-17 Women's National Team. A stalwart on the back line, she helped the American side to the silver medal at the inaugural U-17 Women's World Cup in New Zealand in November, starting five games and serving as captain in the last two. She has been a member of the U.S National Team for three years.

Despite missing her senior season due to a knee injury and National Team commitments, she scored 62 goals for Pennington, adding 30 assists for a total of 154 points. A three-time first team All-Mercer County selection, she helped Pennington extend its string of state titles to six. She has played on her Arsenal club's U-18 team since the age of 15. She is a three-time NSCAA/adidas Youth All-America. Her mother, Jean Brooks, was one of the first women in the nation to play on a men's college soccer team (Ashland University, 1976-79). Amber will attend the University of North Carolina next fall.

Brooks and Gray will be recognized at the annual All-America Luncheon, to be held in St. Louis, Mo., on Saturday, Jan. 17, as part of the 2009 NSCAA Convention.

Congratulations, Amber!