Pinto, Jones Earn Academic All-District Honors

CHAPEL HILL - Two Tar Heels have earned Academic All-District women's soccer honors based on academic and athletic success over the past year. Rachel Jones and Brianna Pinto both were named to the 12-member District 3 team and are candidates for CoSIDA Academic All-America honors.

Jones and Pinto were starters for the 2020-21 Tar Heels, who finished the extended season 18-2 and reached the College Cup.

Jones, a senior forward from Lawrenceville, Ga., earned third-team All-America honors as well as first-team All-ACC and All-Region recognition. She ranked second on the team in goals (6), assists (6) and points (18) in 2020-21. Outside of soccer, she serves as president of UNC's Student-Athlete Advisory Council and also serves on the conference SAAC. She was a 2021 recipient of UNC's Top 10 Scholar-Athlete Award, which recognizes the top cumulative grade point averages among graduating student-athletes. After completing her degree in public policy, Jones plans to enroll at the UNC School of Law while playing her final season of eligibility for Carolina.

Pinto, a junior midfielder from Durham, N.C., was one of three finalists for the MAC Hermann Trophy as national player of the year. A two-time All-America first team selection, she earned All-ACC honors for the third year in a row and finished the 2020-21 season tied for third in the nation in points and goals. Pinto is a business administration major and recipient of merit scholarship in the Kenan-Flagler Business School. The third overall pick in the 2021 NWSL Draft, she recently signed a two-year contract with Gotham FC.

To see the full list of Division I Academic All-District honorees from all eight districts, click here.

Players Mentioned

Rachel Jones

Brianna Pinto

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