FORT MYERS, Fla. – Erika Zschuppe added another honor to her growing collection on Wednesday, as the Florida Gulf Coast women's soccer senior was named to the First Team Academic All-America, selected by College Sports Communicators. 

Zschuppe became the ninth Eagle to earn Academic All-America honors, and just the fourth to earn a First Team Academic All-America nod. She joins Magnus Johnson (men's tennis, 2023), Holly Fritz (women's soccer, 2018) and Beau Bauer (men's basketball, 2007) as the group to secure First Team honors.

Women's soccer leads all programs at FGCU with three total Academic All-Americans, and is the only sport to have multiple. Opal Curless secured second team Academic All-America honors in 2019.

Zschuppe follows beach volleyball's Jaci Carpenter, who secured an Academic All-America nod in the spring of 2025, as the most recent Eagle distinguished with the award. Brian Ellis (baseball, 2022), Dana Axner, (volleyball, 2020), and Sarah Hansen (women's basketball, 2013) comprise the rest of the FGCU student-athletes to earn the prestigious award.

"I'm incredibly proud of Erika and her achievements," FGCU women's soccer head coach Jim Blankenship said. "She is proof that hard work pays off. She has set an incredibly high standard on and off that field that all players should strive for."

Zschuppe, who was also the unanimous ASUN Player of the Year, the ASUN Scholar-Athlete of the Year, the unanimous ASUN Midfielder of the Year, and named to the All-ASUN First Team, dominated throughout her senior season. She began the year with Preseason Player of the Year and Midfielder of the Year honors. Nationally, she was named to the Hermann Trophy Preseason and Midseason watch list, and was named the Midseason No. 21 Player in Top 100 National Rankings by TopDrawerSoccer.

Zschuppe led the country through the regular season in goals scored (21), points (44), goals/game (1.27) and shots on goal per game (2.60). She led the ASUN in all four of those categories and in shots per game (4.88) & total shots on goal (41).

Zschuppe's early October stretch vaulted her into the national rankings lead. She scored ten goals in a four game span, with braces against West Georgia, Jacksonville & North Florida, and a four-goal game against North Florida. The flurry earned her numerous weekly accolades, including the Oct. 7 TopDrawer Soccer National Player of the Week, the Oct. 8 College Soccer News Offensive Player of the Week, and three ASUN Player of the Week nods (Oct. 6, Oct. 13, and Oct. 21).

Her four-goal outing against the Ospreys featured a first half hat trick; she was one of just four players nationally to accomplish that feat in the 2025 regular season. Her 1,303 regular season minutes were the most by any FGCU midfielder or forward (fifth overall on the team) despite missing a game.

Zschuppe's 21 goals set a single-season program record. She scored in ten consecutive games from Sept. 11 to Oct. 25, which tied the FGCU record for consecutive games with a goal.

About the Academic All-America Program
Academic All-American is a title reserved for college student-athletes who perform at an elite level in their chosen sport and in the classroom. The all-time list of 44,000+ 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 (CSC), 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. Nominating and voting for Academic All-America® is an exclusive right of College Sports Communicators members.

CSC began the distinguished Academic All-America® program in 1952, and since then, has honored more than 44,000 deserving student-athletes from numerous sports across all divisions with these elite Academic All-America® scholar-athlete honors.