ORANGE PARK - St. Johns Country Day School girls soccer has had its share of great players and great individual awards; Miss Floridas, Gatorades, national number one teams, but recent grad Paige Crews upped the ante with yet another national award.

Crews, now a freshman at Texas Christian University with older sister Payton Crews, also a Lady Spartan and also a TCU player; a junior, was named the Florida player of the year by the United Soccer Coaches Association.

“In the big scheme of things like rankings, this one means the most because it is coaches that make the selections,” said St. Johns coach Mike Pickett. “There are a lot of rankings, but this one is big and Paige was a big part of our team finishing ranked number one in the nation by the same coaches association.”

Crews, named a United Soccer Coaches All American in July, is now in the running for a national player of the year.

“This one is the best player of all classes in Florida,” said Pickett. “The national award I don’t think has ever gone to a Florida player. It is mainly California or Texas.”

For dad Brad Crews, who moved his family from Orange Park back to Texas to be able to watch his two soccer daughters play again together, Paige has surpassed all expectations as a team leader.

“I’m proud for her, but also proud for Mike Pickett and his program,” said Crews. “We stayed to let Paige finish at St. Johns because of the school and the soccer. Not many high school athletes get the type of game preparation that Pickett brings to the game.”

In more St. Johns soccer notes, Carson Pickett, 28, and Mike Pickett’s daughter and a Gatorade player of the year and Dairy Farmer Miss Florida, has been excelling in the womens’ pro ranks as a member of the North Carolina Courage. Pickett, a 2014 national champion player for Florida State University, plus the 2012 Gatorade State Player of the Year and the Dairy Farmer’s “Miss Florida” soccer player of the year, as well as a high school All-American, has played in 13 games after playing for the Seattle Reign, the Orlando Pride and the Brisbane Roar in Australia since 2016.

“Carson is playing her best soccer with hopes of a spot on the United States national team,” said Pickett. “She just recently broke a finger after being hit with a hard shot.”

In June, Pickett was named a member of the National Women's Soccer League Media Association May Team of the Month after registering an assist in North Carolina’s 5-0 rout of Louisville and creating scoring chances with 10 key passes and a 80 percent pass rating.

“Carson has a super talented left foot, a great engine, and an excellent technical ability,” said NC Courage head coach Paul Riley. “We feel she fits our profile, and a fresh challenge will hopefully be beneficial to the player and to our club.”