Allison LaDuke

Classroom

Allison LaDuke, a physician assistant major with minors in psychology, biology and world languages, boasts an impressive 3.89 cumulative GPA. She has placed on the NEC Commissioner’s Honor Roll (3.75 or higher) every semester of her athletic career from fall 2014 to spring 2017 and was named the 2016 North East Conference (NEC) Women’s Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the fall. She has spent 100 hours shadowing a physician’s assistant in the following areas: pediatrics, orthopedics (in and outpatient), emergency medicine, pediatrics emergency medicine and cardiovascular surgery.

Character

LaDuke enters her second year as a team captain as a senior, an obvious choice according to her head coach, Brenda van Stralen. A testament to her unselfishness was her willingness to change positions after her sophomore season despite being one of the top scoring options as a forward. She is always willing to take positions of leadership, as evidenced by the roles she has assumed. She has served on the SFU Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) for three years, headed the women’s soccer teams’ community service efforts for three years, serves as a chair on the Fellowship of Christian Athletes Huddle, was an SFU Special Olympics management team member in 2015 and 2016 and a 2016 APPLE team member (promotes student-athlete wellness and substance abuse prevention). She also works with the organization Soccer without Borders as an ambassador.

Community

Perhaps LaDuke’s biggest strength is her involvement in the community. An active SAAC member and organizer of all community service performed by the women’s soccer team, she has volunteered at the following events/places/charities in the past year: Hollidaysburg YMCA Youth Futsal volunteer, Manor Nursing Home in Cresson, Pa., Reaching Every Door at SFU, Sports for Kids Day, Playing For Change, a 5v5 soccer tournament benefiting Soccer without Borders, Soccer without Borders Game Day, IU 8 BRIDGE Program job coach, Money Wars Volunteer (benefits Children’s Cancer Recovery Foundation), Mr. SFU (benefits the Zack Finish Foundation) and the American Red Cross, where she went door to door to collect money for those affected by Hurricane Harvey.

Competition

LaDuke started her career as a forward, landing on the NEC All-Rookie Team after scoring four goals in her freshman campaign. Despite scoring seven goals and adding four assists through her sophomore season, LaDuke moved to center back as a junior. The move paid dividends as she landed on the NEC All-Conference First Team, helping the Red Flash defense record eight shutouts. She was at her best when the stakes were highest, leading SFU to two shutouts in two conference tournament games. She was named to the NEC All-Tournament Team for her efforts. She has started every game in her SFU career and was named the Saint Francis Freshman Female Athlete of the Year in 2014.