Hederman Named Finalist for NCAA Division II Gold Award

Mississippi College women's soccer player Erin Hederman has been recognized by the NCAA as a nominee for the 50th Anniversary Gold Award as announced by the Association on Monday, Nov. 13.

Division II schools and conferences submitted a total of 231 nominations for the award. Hederman is one of 12 nominees from the Gulf South Conference. She is one of 45 finalists from each of the 23 DII conferences for consideration for the overall award.

The nominees include current and former student-athletes, coaches, faculty members, and administrators from active-member schools and conferences who have helped shape Division II.

Hederman is the epitome of an NCAA Division II student-athlete. She serves her team, her athletic department, her University, and her community with the same vigor as she does on the pitch for the Choctaws.

This fire and inward desire to better everyone around her earned her a spot on the GSC Top Ten last summer – a gathering of the best student-athletes in the conference. It marked the fourth consecutive year an MC female student-athlete made the conference's Top 10 and the fourth women's soccer player to make the list.

During the 2023 season, Hederman earned All-GSC First Team accolades while leading the Choctaws to a 38-11 overall record, including a 9-3-1 mark in conference play, and a berth in the conference tournament. During her final season in the Blue and Gold, she became the program record-holder in career assists with 32.

The Jackson native earned D2CCA All-American honors during the 2022 season on the pitch and is a two-time all-region selection (D2CCA and United Soccer Coaches). She grabbed All-GSC First Team laurels before her postseason accolades and helped lead the Choctaws to a conference tournament title while earning Most Outstanding Player accolades.

In the classroom, Hederman earned USC Scholar All-American honors while being named to the GSC All-Academic Team, the conference's academic honor roll, and MC's Fall 2022 President's List. The MC Honors College student belongs to several honor societies on campus, including Mortar Board, Phi Epsilon Kappa, and Alpha Chi.

The former Jackson Academy standout served her community, volunteering for the Salvation Army; Caring Hands; Brookdale, an assisted living community; and Stewpot. She volunteered her time on campus, working with the MC Kinesiology Department to host the Hap Hudson 5K Run/Walk.

During her playing career, Hederman was a two-time D2CCA and United Soccer Coaches All-Region selection, a three-time All-Gulf South Conference member, and the 2019 GSC Freshman of the Year. She was a three-time member of the conference's all-academic team, a four-time selection to the league's academic honor roll, and a seven-time MC President's List honoree.

Hederman is joined by Herb Reinhardt, Valdosta State University director of athletics, as the second GSC nominee.

The award is part of the division's year-long 50th anniversary celebration that launched Aug. 7 and will extend through the 2024 Division II Baseball Championship in June. It will recognize two individuals (one male and one female) who have made a positive impact in Division II.

As part of the anniversary celebration, Division II also will provide a commemorative scholarship opportunity for student-athletes from active-member schools who exhibit the core values of Division II and have not yet exhausted their athletics eligibility. Two recipients from each conference and two representing the independent institutions will be announced in May during the 2024 NCAA Division II National Championships Festival in Orlando, Florida.