Jackson State soccer player Eroncia Berry has been named the 2016 Southwestern Athletic Conference Woman of the Year.
Berry, a 2016 graduate of Jackson State University and former forward for the Lady Tiger soccer team, is the epitome of scholar-athletes, representing JSU by excelling on the field and in the classroom. These traits and her strength of character made her the best candidate for this prestigious award.
As a Lady Tiger, Berry played 39 games with eight goals, one assist, and 17 total points. She scored several game winning goals during the 2013 SWAC Championship Tournament to help JSU grab its second SWAC Soccer Championship. Because of her performance, Berry was named to the 2013 SWAC Tournament team and to the 2014 SWAC Preseason Team.
As a scholar, Berry maintained a 3.974 GPA, was named a President’s List Scholar and a Dean’s List Scholar. She was a member of the Alpha Lambda Delta National Honor Society, Chi Alpha Sigma National College Athlete Honor Society, Beta Gamma Sigma International Business Honor Society, Phi Alpha Delta Law Fraternity charter member, W.E.B. Du Bois Honors College, Golden Key International Honor Society, Fannie Lou Hamer Pre Law Society and the Allen Entrepreneurial Institute Training Program.
Berry received numerous awards and honors as a student-athlete that include Who’s Who Among Students, Arthur Ashe Student-Athlete Scholar, Wheaties Scholar Athlete, JSU Student Athlete of the Month (September 2015), National Student Athlete Day by the National Consortium for Academies and Sports recognition and JSU Women’s Soccer Academic Achievement Award.
Berry proved herself as a leader by holding key positions in several organizations. She was the Golden Key International Honor Society community service director, Fannie Lou Hamer Pre Law Society business manager and JSU Women’s Soccer community service director.
As SWAC Woman of the Year, Berry will also serve as the league’s nominee for NCAA Woman of the Year consideration. The NCAA selection committee will choose the top 10 honorees in each division. From those 30 candidates, the selection committee will determine the top three in each division. The Committee on Women’s Athletics will select the 2015 NCAA Woman of the Year, and the winner will be announced at a ceremony on Oct. 16 in Indianapolis.