Morgan Stearns

Classroom

Morgan Stearns has excelled in the classroom while also setting a standard as a four-year starter on the field. She most recently received the Gray-Carrington Scholarship at Virginia, an honor bestowed on one student who excels in personal integrity, achievement, leadership and humility. The recipient receives free tuition, room and board for a year. With a 3.558 cumulative GPA, Stearns has been named a two-time selection to the ACC Academic Honor Roll and has been named to the dean’s list at UVA. She was a CoSIDA First-Team Academic All-District selection in the fall of 2015 and also has been a two-time selection to the UVA Athletic Honor Roll.

Character

“Morgan is one of the most mature, disciplined, conscientious student-athletes I have ever had the pleasure of coaching. She is now in her fourth and final year, and not only has been a starter since her freshmen year but has been a leader from the moment she arrived on grounds. This year she is our captain, and she leads our team in every way possible: by example, by work ethic, by attitude, by energy, by inspiring, by motivating, among others. “What has impressed me over the years about Morgan is how consistent she has been on the soccer field, in the classroom, amongst her peers and within the Virginia community. She has the kind of character that you can count on day-in and day-out no matter the circumstance. If things go well for her, she is humble and gives credit to others. If she suffers some adversity, she is positive, takes responsibility and works hard to improve. She has been remarkably consistent during her time at Virginia, and much of this comes from her core values. She is loyal, caring, hard-working, friendly, competitive, enthusiastic, driven, responsible and giving. There is no doubt in my mind that Morgan will go on to do amazing things in our society just as she has done at Virginia given who she is and how she approaches life as a whole.” - Head Coach Steve Swanson

Community

Stearns has been an active member of the Charlottesville and University of Virginia community throughout her four years as a Cavalier, particularly in areas supporting anti-bullying measures and empowering young women. She also has been an active participant as a local “Day In The Life” Community Service Learning volunteer to help provide academic assistance to local youth and also participates in the Athletes Committed to Education program. Stearns prides herself on serving as a role model for young women, actively working with the Girl’s Can Program as a mentor for the past four years. She is one of 15 students active in the Sustained Dialogue program at UVA to foster discussion and seek solutions to issues facing a diverse student population. Stearns also is active as a Green Dot Ambassador in support of anti-bullying measures in the local and University community as she seeks to increase awareness around the issue of bullying, and has been a member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee for the past two years.

Competition

While setting a strong example as a role model in the community and in the classroom, Stearns has also excelled on the pitch. While posting the most starts by a true freshman in UVA history (21) in 2013 on her way to first-team All-America honors from Soccer America, Stearns has continued to prove invaluable for the Cavaliers. A four-year starter in goal, Stearns holds the program record for wins at UVA by a goalkeeper with a 61-6-4 record at the time of nomination. She also helped the program set the school record for consecutive shutout minutes (976) without conceding a goal across a span of 10 consecutive games. Stearns also set a personal mark of 905 consecutive minutes between goals allowed. In 2013 and 2014, Stearns helped lead the Cavaliers to back-to-back College Cup appearances, including a runner-up finish in the NCAA Championships in 2014. She has posted 30 shutouts through her 77 games played at UVA and has battled back following an off-season surgery between the 2014 and 2015 seasons to post a 13-1-3 record her junior season with nine solo shutouts and 15 total shutouts after not starting the first six matches of the season.