Inside D3 Soccer: WashU’s Prescription for Success

A Future Beyond D3 Soccer

For Division III student-athletes, the classroom demands as much dedication as the playing field. The NCAA’s 2025 GOALS study found that D3 participants spent a median of 36.5 hours per week on academics during the season, compared to 29 hours on athletics.

For D3 women’s soccer, the median time rose to 41 hours a week. Cannon’s course load illustrates that dedication. An anthropology major on the pre-med track, she studies global health and the environment while developing a thesis through the REACH Research Project, which examines the health effects of flooding in U.S. communities, including risks from pathogens and contaminated water.

Her work fits into a research-intensive setting. WashU reported more than $1 billion in sponsored research support for fiscal year 2025, with more than 4,000 research projects underway annually.

The summer before her junior year, Cannon spent five weeks studying abroad in Nice, France, where she shadowed doctors at a local hospital and gained insight into another health care system. Her travels reflect a path many of her Division III peers pursue.

According to the same survey, nearly one in four women’s D3 student-athletes said they had studied abroad or planned to, compared with fewer than one in 10 in Divisions I and II.

Cannon remembers wondering as a recruit whether she could make the most of those opportunities herself.

“I think a lot of people, especially at WashU, experience some form of impostor syndrome. When you’re a recruit, you see all these amazing women on the team doing cool research and internships, and you wonder, ‘Am I actually going to be able to do that, too?’”

Cannon’s own achievements offer a clear answer. The Overland Park, Kan. native earned the NCAA’s top academic honor for championship-level student-athletes in consecutive years, receiving the Elite 90 Award in 2024 and the renamed Elite Scholar-Athlete Award last season. She became just the second individual in D3 women’s soccer history to claim the distinction twice.

The award is based on cumulative GPA among eligible student-athletes at the NCAA championship finals.

“I wouldn’t have gotten the chance to receive that honor if it weren’t for the entire team getting us there in the first place,” Cannon said.

WashU’s Culture of Support

That support has taken on added meaning throughout her time in St. Louis.

As a key part of WashU’s back line during their 2024 national title run, Cannon played in 24 games, started 12, and logged 1,357 minutes. The 5-foot-7 sophomore helped anchor a defense that contributed to the Bears’ undefeated 23-0-2 campaign and the program’s second national title.

Her path to that success, however, was not without setbacks. Cannon has torn her left ACL twice. The first injury, during her sophomore year of high school, disrupted her recruiting timeline just as she began contacting college coaches and ultimately led her to explore WashU, a school she hadn’t previously considered closely.

The second came during the Bears’ 2025 title defense and cut her junior season short. Along with the ACL tear, Cannon sustained meniscus damage in the same knee, requiring another lengthy rehabilitation.

The two recoveries brought different challenges. In high school, Cannon questioned whether she could return to her previous level of play. This time, she’s focused on quieting thoughts of reinjury and making the most of her senior campaign, whatever it brings.

After these injuries and with her elite academic vision since high school, you see a new opportunity for her to rise. I don’t want to reduce it to the leadership cliché. She’s a mentor, a friend, and a day-to-day confidant who can help any teammate in any atmosphere.

— said Conlon, part of WashU’s 2024 and 2025 United Soccer Coaches D3 Women’s Staff of the Year

Their togetherness has translated into results. The No. 1-ranked Bears are 13-0 after Tuesday’s 4-1 win over Illinois Wesleyan and have allowed just four goals all season. With a disciplined defense and a productive attack, WashU is positioned to make another deep postseason run.

To boot, Cannon’s return to the field has taken a meaningful step forward. After a one-minute appearance on senior day earlier in the year, she played 29 minutes in the Bears’ latest victory, her first extended action this season. Through the ups and downs, she’s learned to balance high expectations with an appreciation for the ride itself.

“You can achieve on the field and in the classroom, but you also have to make space to be with your teammates and find joy in the experience, not just in the success,” Cannon said.