Women's Soccer Hands Out All-Conference Awards
The Sun Conference handed out its women’s soccer honors for the 2017 season Thursday at the Sun Conference Championship banquet hosted by regular-season champion Keiser.
The banquet was held on the eve of Friday’s championship matchup between the top-seeded Seahawks and No. 2 seed Southeastern. Keiser was named the regular-season champion and the top seed in the tournament by virtue of going unbeaten in conference play at 10-0-0.
The Seahawks and Fire each had four players on the All-Sun Conference first team along with a player from St. Thomas, Thomas, and Johnson & Wales.
Southeastern earned two of the top honors, as sophomore forward Uchenna Kanu was named the Player of the Year and Randy Belli earned Coach of the Year honors. Kanu, last year’s Newcomer of the Year, led the conference in scoring with 25 goals and had a conference best 54 points. She tallied a goal in nine of the ten conference games.
Johnson & Wales freshman Savannah Jackson earned Freshman of the Year honors. Jackson racked up nine goals for 18 points while starting all ten conference games.
The Champions of Character Award went to Sydni Brookhouser of Southeastern University. Sydni volunteered at a hurricane shelter in September, housing many evacuees in her hometown during Hurricane Irma. A total of 3,700 people and 400 pets sought refuge from the storm at the shelter, which started with just 25 volunteers. The senior goalkeeper worked from 7 a.m. Friday to 5 p.m. Monday. During her time there, she brought meals to people, and gave general guidance and direction.
"I feel like one of the biggest ways I helped was just being there and talking to people and showing them love," said Brookhouser of the experience.
Player of the Year
Uchenna Kanu, SEU
Freshman of the Year
Savanah Jackson, JWU
Coach of the Year
Randy Belli, SEU
Champion of Character
Sydni Brookhouser, SEU
First Team All-Conference
GK: Cristina Garwacki, STU
D: Konya Plummer, SEU
D: Heidi Ruth, SEU
D: Olivia White, KU
MF: Olivia Taylor, TU
MF: Ebba Gustafsson, KU
MF: Bania Duran, SEU
MF: Emma Holmskov, KU
F: Uchenna Kanu, SEU
F: Amanda Blixt, KU
F: Savannah Jackson, JWU
Second Team All-Conference
GK: Sarah McKinney, WIU
D: Kiera Heslam, KU
D: Katy Hunt, TU
D: Caterina Yibirin, JWU
MF: Sarah Thomsson, STU
MF: Annie Sullivan, SCAD
MF: MJ Orduna, USCB
MF: Christina Clements, WU
F: Filippa Millqvist, KU
F: Jannel Johnson, STU
F: Hayley Pina, USCB
Honorable Mention
GK: Elsa Netz, KU
GK: Kara Houston
D: Rebekah Wiltshire, TU
D: Amanda Gordon, STU
D: Tova Nilsson, KU
D: Emma Bergsell
MF: Beth Smyth, KU
MF: Lynsey Kelly, SEU
MF: Josefine Troneby, KU
MF: Isabella Aviolla, WIU
F: Aisha Solorzano, SEU
Academic All-Conference
Jazmin Rosas, FMU
Alicia Torres, FMU
Alice Manu, FMU
Nina Torress, FMU
Maria Kecskemeti, FMU
Honebeth Vega, FMU
Camila Scobino, FMU
Darcy Aders, SCAD
Julia Corin, SCAD
Elisa Doger, SCAD
Meghan Grable, SCAD
Briana Hunter, SCAD
Luaren Kittle, SCAD
Thorhanna Omarsdottir, SCAD
Anna Felixson, TU
Anna Gray, TU
Kara Houston, TU
Daniella Pistelli, TU
Linnea Roivas, TU
Olivia Taylor, TU
Emma Bergsell, KU
Chantal Ghaly, KU
Elsa Netz, KU
Amanda Blixt, KU
Bernadette Hartney, AMU
Sarah McKinney, WIU
Jenna Kidd, WIU
Rachel Osborne, WIU
Laura Borders, WIU
Alyssa Rodriguez, WIU
Desiree Rudnick, JWU
Audrey Gant, JWU
Monica Martinez, JWU
Sydney Smedley, JWU
Sydni Brookhouser, SEU
Courtney Copeland, SEU
Melissa Corrie, SEU
Abby Lake, SEU
Autumn Morrell, SEU
Melanie Peyton, SEU
Kaitlyn Romero, SEU
Kylie Braeseke, STU
Amanda Gordon, STU
Kortney Hinden, STU
Taylor Malone, STU
Sarah Lyppert Thomsson, STU
Christina Garwacki, STU
Alexa Rivera, STU
Brittney Neser, USCB
Ashley Cole, WU
Alexis Hoerr, WU
Kristen Isabelle, WU
Krystina Miles, WU
Morgan Newhart, WU
Zabella Thompson WU