Indiana has named Amy Berbary as the new head women's soccer coach, as announced on Wednesday. Berbary becomes the third head coach in Indiana women's soccer history and comes to Bloomington from Auburn, where she spent the previous five seasons as an assistant coach and was the associate head coach during the 2012 season.

Penn State head women's soccer coach Erica Walsh has been named National Coach of the Year by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA), it was announced on Friday. The award is the second national honor for the coach, as she was named Soccer America National Coach of the Year three days prior. Walsh led the Nittany Lions to a record 15th consecutive Big Ten title, their second-straight 20-win season and the College Cup title game for the first time in program history.

Penn State Release 

Three Big Ten women's soccer players were taken in the inaugural National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) draft on Friday in Indianapolis, Ind. Penn State's Christine Nairn was selected seventh overall by the Seattle Reign FC, while the Boston Breakers chose her teammate Maddy Evans with the 29th pick. Michigan's Haley Kopmeyer was also drafted by the Seattle Reign FC with the 31st selection.

Nairn and Evans led the Nittany Lions to their 15th consecutive Big Ten title in 2012 and a first-ever trip to the national championship match. Nairn was a finalist for the MAC Hermann Trophy and collected Big Ten Midfielder of the Year honors after leading Penn State in points (35), goals (13), shots (71) and assists (9) this season. Evans also anchored the Nittany Lion midfield, where she collected second-team All-Big Ten laurels for her contributions. 

The Big Ten enjoyed a successful 2012 women's soccer season, capped by Penn State's run to the NCAA Division I Tournament final. The Nittany Lions captured their 15th straight regular season title, the most consecutive titles by a Big Ten women's program in any sport. In the conference tournament, second-seeded Ohio State took the crown, its third in school history.   

NCAA Championship Success: Five conference squads earned berths to the NCAA Tournament, the seventh time in the last 10 years that five or more Big Ten teams were selected to the bracket. Ohio State earned the conference's automatic berth after capturing the Big Ten Tournament title, while Illinois, Michigan, Penn State and Wisconsin were each selected to the field. The Illini advanced to the second round, but were ousted by eventual champion, North Carolina. The Wolverines and Nittany Lions battled in the round of 16, as Penn State came out victorious in a penalty kick thriller. The Nittany Lions would go on to the national title game, losing a heartbreaker to the Tar Heels. To read more about the Big Ten in the NCAA Championship, click here and here.

We Are The Champions: For the 15th consecutive year, Penn State won the Women's Soccer Big Ten Championship, as the Nittany Lions boasted a 10-0-1 record in conference play. Second-seeded Ohio State claimed the conference tournament crown, defeating  No. 5 Illinois, 2-1, in the title match. For more on the regular season conference champions, click here. To read more about the Big Ten Tournament and All-Tournament Team, click here.

Conference Postseason Accolades: The conference announced its women's soccer All-Big Ten teams and individual award winners right before the Big Ten Tournament kicked off. Penn State collected five of the six individual awards as Erica Walsh was named Coach of the Year, Maya Hayes collected Forward of the Year honors, Christine Nairn earned Midfielder of the Year status, Whitney Church was honored as Defender of the Year and Raquel Rodriguez garnered Freshman of the Year laurels. Michigan's Haley Kopmeyer collected the Goalkeeper of the Year award. For more on the postseason awards and the complete All-Big Ten teams, click here. 

In the Final Polls: Three conference teams earned rankings in the final NSCAA/Continental Tire poll of the season, as Big Ten Champion and national runner-up Penn State (21-4-2) led the way at No. 2. Michigan (16-5-3) clocked in at No. 19 and Ohio State (16-4-2) held the No. 23 spot. Illinois (10-9-4) was receiving votes. For the complete final poll, click here.  

Where We Rank: Minnesota's Taylor Uhl and Ohio State's Tiffany Cameron led the nation in total goals scored this season, each tallying 21 scores. Uhl also led the country in total points (51) and was second in points per game (1.05), while Cameron was first in game-winning goals (9), third in goals per game (0.955) and fourth in total points (47). Michigan's Haley Kopmeyer ranked fourth in the nation in goalie minutes played (2246.41), while the Penn State team was fourth in scoring offense. For the complete season's statistics, click here.

National Names: Several conference standouts were awarded nationally for their success on and off the field during the 2012 season. Penn State's Christine Nairn was named a MAC Hermann Trophy finalist, along with being a NSCAA first-team All-American and Soccer America first-team MVP selection. Teammate Maya Hayes was also a NSCAA first-team All-America pick and a Soccer America second-team MVP selection. Nittany Lion freshmen Raquel Rodriguez and Mallory Weber were named to the Soccer America All-Freshman first team. Illinois' Vanessa DiBernardo collected second-team Soccer America MVP honors and third-team NSCAA All-America status, while Michigan's Haley Kopmeyer earned first-team Soccer America recognition and second-team NSCAA All-America laurels, along with Ohio State's Tiffany Cameron. Minnesota's Taylor Uhl also earned NSCAA third-team honors. In the classroom, DiBernardo and Ohio State's Megan Fuller were named NSCAA Scholar All-America and Minnesota's Allie Phillips collected Capital One Academic All-America accolades from CoSIDA.

Congrats to the Coaches: Penn State head women's soccer coach Erica Walsh was named the NCAA Division I Coach of the Year by Soccer America. Walsh led the Nittany Lions to their 15th consecutive Big Ten title and their first ever trip to the national title game. Additionally, Illinois coach Janet Rayfield was announced as the first ever female to receive the NSCAA 2012 Honor Award. The Honor Award is the most prestigious distinction the NSCAA presents, as it recognizes the individual's contribution to the game of soccer and the NSCAA. 

All-Region Recognition: Sixteen women's soccer players were named to the NSCAA All-Great Lakes Region Team, as standouts from conference institutions made up 16 of the 33 representatives, including seven of 11 on the first team. For the complete All-Great Lakes Region team, click here. 

Penn State head women's soccer coach Erica Walsh has been named NCAA Division I Coach of the Year by Soccer America, it was announced on Tuesday. Walsh led the Nittany Lions to their 15th straight Big Ten regular season title and its first appearance in the NCAA Division I Tournament final. Penn State survived a brutal non-conference schedule that included two No. 1 seeds and one No. 2 NCAA Tournament seed early in the season and overcame many obstacles along the way to finish with a 21-4-2 record.

Additionally, six Big Ten student-athletes earned individual accolades from Soccer America. Michigan's Haley Kopmeyer and Penn State's Christine Nairn were named to the MVP first team, while the Nittany Lions' Maya Hayes and Illinois' Vanessa DiBernardo were second team MVP selections. Penn State's Raquel Rodriguez and Mallory Weber were awarded All-Freshman first team recognition.
 

Two Big Ten women's soccer players have earned National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Scholar All-America status, it was announced last week. Illinois' Vanessa DiBernardo was named to the first team, while Ohio State's Megan Fuller garned third team honors. To be named Scholar All-America, a college student must attain a 3.30 grade point average on a 4.0 scale. DiBernardo, a sports administration major, has accumulated a 3.60 GPA, while Fuller, a psychology major, has earned a 3.41 GPA. Both student-athletes were named Academic All-Big Ten earlier this post-season.

DiBernardo, Fuller and the rest of the 2012 Scholar All-America Teams will be recognized Jan. 19, at the All-America Luncheon held during the 2013 NSCAA Convention in Indianapolis, Ind.

For the complete list of NSCAA Scholar All-Americans, click here.  

Penn State's Christine Nairn was named a finalist for the Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy, it was announced on Thursday. The Big Ten Midfielder of the Year guided the Nittany Lions to the national title game and a 21-4-2 record by leading Penn State in every offensive category this season.

The MAC Hermann Trophy is the highest individual award in intercollegiate soccer. A banquet will be hosted at the Missouri Athletic Club in St. Louis on Friday, Jan. 11, to recognize the finalists' accomplishments and announce the winners. 

For the full list of finalists, click here.

Sixteen women's soccer players were named to the NSCAA All-Great Lakes Region Team, it was announced on Monday. Standouts from conference institutions make up 16 of the 33 representatives, including seven of the 11 on the first team. Below is the complete list of Big Ten student-athletes on the All-Great Lakes Region Team.

First Team
Vanessa DiBernardo, ILL
Haley Kopmeyer, MICH
Taylor Uhl, MINN
Tiffany Cameron, OSU
Whitney Church, PSU
Maya Hayes, PSU
Christine Nairn, PSU

Second Team
Cloe Lacasse, IOWA
Nkem Ezurike, MICH
Holly Hein, MICH
Erin McNulty, PSU
Monica Lam-Feist, WIS

Third Team
Orianica Velasquez, IND
Shelina Zadorsky, MICH
Megan Fuller, OSU
Raquel Rodriguez, PSU

*For the complete All-Great Lakes Region Team, click here.

Three Big Ten women's soccer teams earned rankings in the final postseason NSCAA/Continental Tire poll, announced on Tuesday. Big Ten champion Penn State checks in at No. 2 after advancing to the national title game last weekend. Michigan holds the No. 19 spot, while Ohio State comes in at No. 23. Illinois was receiving votes.

Click here for the full ranking.

Minnesota's Taylor Uhl and Ohio State's Tiffany Cameron, both first-team All-Big Ten selections and All-America honorees, led the nation in total goals scored this season, each tallying 21 scores. Uhl also led the country in total points (51) and was second in points per game (2.55) and goals per game (1.05), while Cameron was first in game-winning goals (9), third in goals per game (0.955) and fourth in total points (47).

Michigan's Haley Kopmeyer, the Big Ten's Goalkeeper of the Year, ranked fourth in the nation in goalie minutes played (2246.41). As a team, Big Ten Champion and NCAA runner-up Penn State was fourth in scoring offense.

For the entire season's statistics, click here.