STATESBORO - Georgia Southern graduate student midfielder Marcela Montoya and freshman forward Elis Nemtsov were named to the 2021 All-Sun Belt Conference's First Team, while sophomore defender Sade Heinrichs was named to the Second Team with today's release of the annual women's soccer awards from the league.

The Eagles have three All-Conference team members for the first time since 2014, which was Georgia Southern's first season of competition in the Sun Belt.

Montoya becomes only the second Eagle to earn first-team All-Sun Belt honors in back-to-back seasons, joining Nora El-Shami (2014, 2015). The Cape Coral, Fla., native earns her first-team spot in the midfield this year for tallying eight goals and three assists for 19 points. She is tied for fourth in the Sun Belt in goals and points and was named the Sun Belt's Offensive Player of the Week on August 31. She scored the Eagles' first hat trick since 2014 with three goals at Charleston Southern on August 29 and she has tallied fourth game-winning goals this season, which ranks third in the Sun Belt.

Nemtsov. meanwhile, earns first-team honors at forward for also tallying eight goals this season, ranking fourth in the league. The Bradford, Ontario, native was the Sun Belt's Offensive Player of the Week twice this season, on September 21 and again on October 5. Four of her eight goals came against Sun Belt Conference opponents this season and she also tallied a goal against the current No. 16-ranked Ole Miss squad when the two teams played back on Sept. 19.

The Eagles' second-team honoree, Sade Heinrichs, has started all 19 matches at center back and has played every minute in 17 of those 19 matches. The Sun Belt's Defensive Player of the Week on October 5, Heinrichs has been a big part of Georgia Southern's team 1.09 GAA and six shutouts this season, the most for the Eagles since 2014. The 1.09 team GAA is the third-best in school history currently. This is the first All-Sun Belt honor for the Monchengladbach, Germany native.

The 2014 squad had first-team honorees El-Shami and Kate Merson, along with second-team honoree Melinda Lukas. 

Georgia Southern will be in action in the 2021 Sun Belt Conference Tournament on Wednesday, November 3, taking on Georgia State in a 7:30 p.m. ET match at the Foley Sports Tourism Complex in Foley, Ala.