Barr Named CoSIDA Academic All-American

2017 CoSIDA Academic All-America® At-Large Release

Liberty senior field hockey student-athlete Serena Barr was voted to the 2016-17 CoSIDA Academic All-America® At-Large second team, as announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) this afternoon.

Barr is the first Liberty student-athlete to garner selection to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® team this year and first player in Liberty field hockey program history to earn the award.

Barr is the first player in Liberty field hockey program history to garner selection to the CoSIDA Academic All-America® team

The at-large teams for the Academic All-America® program include the sports of fencing, golf, gymnastics, ice hockey, lacrosse, rifle, skiing, swimming & diving, tennis and water polo for both men and women. The team also includes the sports of beach volleyball, bowling, crew and field hockey for women, and volleyball and wrestling for men.

Barr, a native of Lurgan, Northern Ireland, graduated summa cum laude in May with a Bachelor of Science degree in public health and a perfect 4.00 GPA.

She earned CoSIDA Academic All-District™ honors in May, joining former Lady Flame Helen Doolittle (2011-14), who merited selection in both 2013 and 2015.

Barr was also one of four Liberty student-athletes to receive the Big South Conference's George A. Christenberry Award for Academic Excellence, given annually to the male and female-student athletes who attain the highest GPA during their college careers.

She was chosen as the 2016 Zag Field Hockey National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division I National Scholar Athlete in late March. The Northern Ireland native was the only NCAA Division I field hockey-student athlete to receive the honor.

Barr also was named to the Zag Sport/NFHCA Division I National Academic Squad and Scholars of Distinction lists in all four seasons she competed for the Liberty Lady Flames field hockey team.

In her final season in a Lady Flames uniform, she was named to the 2016 Longstreth/NFHCA Division I All-America second team, becoming the second All-American in program history. Barr guided the Lady Flames to a runner-up finish in their inaugural season in the BIG EAST Conference in the fall of 2016 and was voted BIG EAST Co-Defensive Player of the Year for her efforts.