Austin, Texas - The 2025 Academic All-America NAIA Womens's Soccer Teams, selected by College Sports Communicators (CSC), have been announced.
Central Methodist junior forward Mariana Barreto was named to the Academic All-America First Team, the first time in her career. She is just one of 11 athletes in the NAIA to earn First Team honors. Additionally, she is the first known First Team Academic All-American in program history.
The junior from Valencia, Venezuela is an Exercise Science major with a 3.58 GPA. She was recognized as a Second Team NAIA All-American after leading her team with 24 goals through 21 matches.
Barreto recorded six game winners as well as seven games of two or more goals, which included four hat tricks.
For her efforts in conference play, she was named both the Heart Co-Player of the Year and Heart Offensive Player of the Year while landing on the Heart All-Conference First Team for third-straight season.
Barreto was named the Offensive Player of the Week four times over the course of 2025 and earned National Offensive Player of the Week honors on Sept. 9.
She captained her team to a 16-3-2 record, a 12-0-1 mark in Heart of America play and Central's seventh Heart Regular Season Championship in the last nine seasons.
The Academic All-America program celebrates college student-athletes who perform at an elite level in their chosen sport and in the classroom. The all-time list of 42,000+ Academic All-Americans includes major sports stars and some of the world's most accomplished individuals in medicine, business, science, and the arts.
Established in 1952 and selected by College Sports Communicators, Academic All-America is the longest-running and premier award for athletic and academic success across championship college sports at all NCAA levels, the NAIA, two-year colleges, and Canadian institutions. Teams are announced year-round and amplified by CSC member colleges, universities, and conferences on a wide local, regional, national, and even international scope.
To view additional information about the Academic All-America program, please see below.
- Outstanding student-athletes are nominated for Academic All-District® recognition by athletic communications directors and must have a minimum 3.50 GPA and meet high athletic standards. (approximately 30,000 nominations annually)
- A select group of student-athletes advances to the national ballot, where CSC members vote on Academic All-America teams. (approximately 2,000 selections annually)
- An Academic All-American of the Year is selected in each sport and division. (66 recipients)
- An Overall Academic All-America Team Member of the Year is selected as the top student-athlete across all sports in each NCAA and NAIA division. (4 recipients)
To view the CSC release on the 2025 Academic All-America NAIA Women's Soccer Teams, please click here.
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