ASHLAND – Miller Bertani broke more new ground for Southern Oregon women's soccer when she was named to the Academic All-America first team by the College Sports Communicators (CSC) on Wednesday morning.

Last month, Bertani became the first Raider ever to receive the Cascade Conference Defensive Player of the Year award. The latest honor marked another first for the program.

The senior from San Jose, Calif., was one of 11 players across the NAIA to earn the first-team CSC award, which is designed to recognize student-athletes for a combination of their academic and athletic performances. Bertani brought a 3.82 cumulative GPA into the fall and is set to graduate with a bachelor's degree in health and exercise science.

Over four seasons with SOU, the center-back made 71 starts and contributed to 52 victories. She and the Raiders established a new program single-season wins record in 2025, going 14-3-3 to qualify for the NAIA National Tournament for the second time in team history.

Bertani is the 23rd SOU student-athlete in any sport to garner CSC Academic All-America plaudits.

Following her lead on the back line, the Raiders notched 12 shutouts and outscored their opponents 59-17 combined this fall. Their season ended in the Round of 32 after they advanced past Great Plains Athletic Conference champion Grand View (Iowa) in the first round.

In Wednesday's NAIA Top 25 postseason poll, they were receiving votes at No. 32 overall.