Big Ten Announces 2006 All-Conference Teams & Awards

Nittany Lions garner three individual honors, Illinois claims three




Nov. 2, 2006

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PARK RIDGE, Ill. - The Big Ten office announced the 2006 All-Big Ten and All-Freshman women's soccer teams, as well as individual award winners today.  Penn State, the 2006 conference champion, claimed two of the four individual honors as Ali Krieger was named a Co-Defensive Player of the Year which she shares with Illinois' Emily Zurrer.  Nittany Lion head coach Paula Wilkins was honored as Coach of the Year for the fifth time in her career.

 

Illinois' picked up two more individual accolades as Ella Masar was tabbed Offensive Player of the Year and Chichi Nweke claimed Freshman of the Year laurels. 

 

Masar piloted the Illini to their best regular season conference finish since 2003, when the squad also claimed the Big Ten Tournament title. In Big Ten competition, the junior had a breakout year, scoring 1.40 points per game - an average that ranks second in the conference. Masar also tied for third in goals (5) and assists (4), while leading the league with three game-winning shots.

 

Nweke is the first Illini to claim Freshman of the Year honors. A potent offensive outlet on the field for Illinois, Nweke is tied for second on the team with six goals and three assists.

 

Zurrer led an Illini defense that has recorded nine shutouts with just a 1.09 goals allowed average. On Oct. 23, she became the first non-goalkeeper to win multiple Defensive Player of the Week awards in one season after also earning the weekly laurels on Sept. 11. Spearheading Penn State's defensive effort in conference play, Krieger ranks six in the Big Ten in assists per game with five. The senior midfielder led a Nittany Lion team that allowed a league-low 0.70 goals per game.

 

Wilkins becomes the first women's coach to earn four straight Coach of the Year accolades. Wilkins guided Penn State to its ninth straight Big Ten Championship with a mark of 8-1-1 in conference play.  The title streak is now tied with Indiana women's tennis (1987-95) as the second longest run in women's conference championship history. Only Michigan's women's swimming and diving program had a longer span of titles with 12 from 1987-98.

 

Currently ranked No. 9 in the latest NSCAA/adidas National Rankings, the Nittany Lions enter this year's Big Ten Tournament as the top seed for the ninth consecutive season.  

 

The conference office also announced honorees from each team for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. The student-athletes chosen are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. In addition, the student-athletes must be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. Honorees for women's soccer are Illinois' Quinn Reynolds, Indiana's Lindsay McCarthy, Iowa's Melisa Kaetterhenry, Michigan's Lindsey Cottrell, Michigan State's Lauren Astry, Minnesota's Kaitlin Wagner, Northwestern's Shannon Schneeman, Ohio State's Amanda Ball, Penn State's Sarah Dwyer, Purdue's Kristin Hetzel and Wisconsin's Kara Kabelis.  These eleven student-athletes are now candidates for the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, as the conference office will honor one male and one female student-athlete from each institution at the end of the school year.

 

 

 

2006 Women's Soccer All-Big Ten Teams

 

Position                       First Team*                                          Second Team* 

Forward                        ELLA MASAR, ILL                                 Kelsey Hans, NU                                                           Aubrey Aden-Buie, PSU                         Lisa Grubb, OSU                                                           Parrissa Eyorokon, PUR                        Judy Coffman, MICH

                                    Lisa Collison, OSU

           

Midfield                         Lara Dickenmann, OSU                          Christie Kotynski, IND

                                    Sheree Gray, PSU                                 Jordyn Shaffer, PUR

                                    Allie Long, PSU                                     Kelsey Hood, MINN

                                    Kara Kabellis, WIS

                                   

Defense                        Ali Krieger, PSU                                    Kelly Lawrence, IND

                                    Emily Zurrer, ILL                                    Lindsey Cottrell, MICH

                                    Melissa Miller, OSU                               Lauren Lamping, IND

                                                                                                Denay Riley, PSU

 

Goalkeeper                   Lauren Mason, PUR                               Megan Tuura, MICH

                                                                                                Alyssa Naeher, PSU

                                                                                                           

2006 Women's Soccer All-Freshman Team

 

Position

 

Forward                        Lauren Hill, MSU

                                    Chichi Nweke, ILL

                                    Katie Schoepfer, PSU

           

Midfield                                    Christie Kotynski, IND

                                    Lauren Sinacola, MSU

                                    Jackie Santacaterina, ILL

                                    Ashley Bowyer, OSU    

 

Defense                        KELLY LAWRENCE, IND

                                    Leigh Jakes, NU

                                    Lyndsey Mueller, MINN

           

Goalkeeper                   ALYSSA NAEHER, PSU

 

 

Sportsmanship Award Honorees

Quinn Reynolds, ILL

Lindsay McCarthy, IND

Melisa Kaetterhenry, IOWA

Lindsey Cottrell, MICH

Lauren Astry, MSU

Kaitlin Wagner, MINN

Shannon Schneeman, NU

Amanda Ball, OSU

Sarah Dwyer, PSU

Kristin Hetzel, PUR

Kara Kabellis, WIS

 

Offensive Player of the Year: Ella Masar, ILL

Defensive Co-Players of the Year: Emily Zurrer, ILL, and Ali Krieger, PSU

Freshman of the Year: Chichi Nweke, ILL

Coach of the Year: Paula Wilkins, PSU

 

UNANIMOUS SELECTIONS IN ALL CAPS

* At-large pick awarded to first-team midfield and second team defense