Through her five years as a center back for the Valpo soccer team, Nicole Norfolk (Menomonee Falls, Wis./Divine Savior Holy Angels) has radiated with what it means to be a student-athlete at Valparaiso University, and she was honored for that radiance with a national honor on Friday, as Norfolk was selected to the United Soccer Coaches Scholar All-America Third Team, as well as the Scholar All-North/Central Region First Team, in recognition of her excellence on the field of play and in the classroom.

Norfolk concluded her collegiate playing career in 2023 by repeating on the All-MVC First Team and earning Second Team All-Midwest Region honors from United Soccer Coaches. She appeared in 22 matches for the MVC Tournament champion Beacons this season, making 21 starts for one of the Valley’s top defensive sides. Norfolk helped Valpo post a 0.86 team GAA and record nine clean sheets, in the process setting program career records for both matches played and matches started. Norfolk got involved on the attack as well with three goals and four assists, including match-winning goals against Northern Illinois and in Valley play versus UNI. 

For her career, Norfolk racked up a trio of All-Conference honors, as she was a Second Team selection in 2021 and received First Team recognition each of the last two years. She was an MVC All-Freshman Team honoree in 2019, a member of the MVC All-Tournament Team in 2022 and a two-time MVC Defensive Player of the Week. This year’s All-Region honor was Norfolk’s second such accolade at that level as well, as she previously earned Third Team All-Region honors in 2022.

In the classroom, Norfolk was nearly perfect, entering the fall 2023 semester with a 3.971 cumulative GPA as a biology and chemistry double major. A four-time selection to the MVC Scholar-Athlete First Team, Norfolk earns Scholar All-Region accolades this year for the second time, as she was a Second Team Scholar All-Region honoree in 2022. She also twice received College Sports Communicators Academic All-District recognition.

Norfolk is Valpo’s fifth Scholar All-American in the last 16 years and the first since Keegan Maris was named to the Scholar All-America Third Team following the spring 2021 campaign. Norfolk is also just the third player in program history to earn Scholar All-Region honors multiple times.