PHOTO GALLERY
Murray State’s Harriet Withers was named the 2016 Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Year while Tennessee Tech’s Kari Naerdemann was tabbed the Defensive Player of the Year as voted on by the league’s head coaches and sports information directors. Morehead State’s Ashley Ritchie earned Freshman of the Year honors while Eastern Kentucky’s Nick Flohre was selected as the Coach of the Year.
Withers, a native of Murwillumbah, Australia, becomes the first student-athlete in league history to earn Offensive Player of the Year honors twice in her career after winning the award last year. She leads the Conference in shots (70) and shots per game (4.38). The junior forward is fifth in the league with seven goals and four assists. In OVC action, she scored four goals and a league-leading four assists. In addition to being named the Offensive Player of the year, Withers earned All-OVC First Team honors.
A sophomore goalkeeper, Naerdemann earns her second straight Defensive Player of the Year honor. The Herne, Germany native leads the league in goals-against average (0.62) and saves percentage (.869). She is tied for first in the OVC with 10 shutouts, including five in Conference play. Naerdemann gave up just five goals in league action and has allowed just one score over the last four matches. She also earned All-OVC First Team accolades.
Ritchie, a freshman forward, becomes the fourth overall and second straight student-athlete from Morehead State to be named Freshman of the Year. The New Haven, Ky., native ranked second in the league with eight goals, including five in OVC action. She registered 47 shots to rank eighth in the Conference. She scored a pair of goals in a game twice this season and had two game-winners. Ritchie also earned All-OVC Second Team and All-Newcomer honors.
Flohre earns his first OVC Coach of the year award after guiding his team to a 8-2 league mark to win a share of its first regular-season title in program history. Eastern Kentucky, which was picked to finish 11th in the preseason poll, is 13-4 overall and is riding a five-game winning streak heading into the OVC Tournament. Earlier this season, the Colonels put together a program-record eight-game winning streak. Eastern Kentucky currently ranks first in the OVC in goals (30) and goals per game (1.76). He becomes the first Colonel to win Coach of the Year.
Tennessee Tech had the most All-OVC First Team selections with three followed by Eastern Kentucky and Murray State with two picks each. Austin Peay, Morehead State, Southeast Missouri, SIUE and UT Martin each had one selection. Joining Withers and Naerdermann on the first team were: Eastern Kentucky junior forward Jordan Foster (Fairborn, Ohio); and senior midfielder Cassie Smith (Ashburn, Va.); Tennessee Tech senior midfielder Abi Gearring (Libertyville, Ill.) and junior defender Lauren Brewer (Crestwood, Ky.); Austin Peay senior defender Mary Ruth Locastro (Memphis, Tenn.); Morehead State senior defender Angela Black (St. Louis, Mo.); Murray State senior defender Alison Critcher (Edgewood, Ky.); Southeast Missouri senior forward Natasha Minor (De Pere, Wis.); SIUE senior defender Kassidy Rawdon (Maryville, Ill.); and UT Martin sophomore midfielder Amy McGivern (Ballynahinch, Northern Ireland).
Earning second team honors with Ritchie were: Belmont senior goalkeeper Stephanie Bukovec (Toronto, Ontario); junior midfielder Belicia Mendiola (McKinney, Texas) and senior defender Brittany Coca (Riverview, Fla.); Murray State senior forward Taylor Richerson (Murray, Ky) and junior defender Nyomi Devine (Beaudesert, Australia); Austin Peay junior forward Kristin Robertson (Ashland City, Tenn.); Eastern Kentucky junior goalkeeper Anna Hall (Ross, Ohio); Southeast Missouri freshman midfielder Esmie Gonzales (Fort Worth, Texas); SIUE junior midfielder Emily Grahl (Washington, Mo.); and Tennessee Tech junior defender Karigan Owens (La Grange, Ky.).
Eleven student-athletes make up the 2016 OVC All-Newcomer Team, which consists of freshman, redshirt freshman, transfers or other first-year players. In addition to Ritchie, All-Newcomer selections include: Austin Peay redshirt freshman midfielder Pamela Penaloza (Bogota, Colombia); Belmont freshman midfielder Anna Brock Hawkins (Murfreesboro, Tenn.); Eastern Illinois freshman midfielder Henar Urteaga (Pamplona, Spain); Eastern Kentucky freshman midfielder Marian Wolksi (Greenville, S.C.); Jacksonville State freshman forward Cheyenne Carden (Huntsviille, Ala.); Murray State freshman defender Karysn Hasch (Temecula, Calif.); Southeast Missouri freshman midfielder Esmie Gonzales (Fort Worth, Texas); SIUE freshman midfielder/forward Peyton Roehnelt (Metamora, Ill.); Tennessee Tech freshman forward Nora Vicsek (Budapest, Hungary); and UT Martin sophomore midfielder Danae Kaldaridou (Athens, Greece).
2016 ALL-OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAMS
(As selected by OVC women’s soccer coaches and sports information directors)
FIRST TEAM
Kari Naerdemann, Tennessee Tech
Harriet Withers, Murray State
Jordan Foster, Eastern Kentucky
Natasha Minor, Southeast Missouri
Abi Gearring, Tennessee Tech
Cassie Smith, Eastern Kentucky
Amy McGivern, UT Martin
Alison Critcher, Murray State
Lauren Brewer, Tennessee Tech
Mary Ruth Locastro, Austin Peay
Angela Black, Morehead State
Kassidy Rawdon, SIUE
(12 players appear on the second team due to a tie)
2016 OVC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Harriet Withers, Murray State
2016 OVC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Kari Naerdemann, Tennessee Tech
2016 OVC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Ashley Ritchie, Morehead State
2016 OVC COACH OF THE YEAR: Nick Flohre, Eastern Kentucky
SECOND TEAM
Stephanie Bukovec, Belmont
Anna Hall, Eastern Kentucky
Kristin Robertson, Austin Peay
Taylor Richerson, Murray State
Ashley Ritchie, Morehead State
Emily Grahl, SIUE
Esmie Gonzales, Southeast Missouri
Belicia Mendiola, Belmont
Brittany Coca, Belmont
Nyomi Devine, Murray State
Karigan Owens, Tennessee Tech
ALL-NEWCOMER
Ashley Ritchie, Morehead State
Esmie Gonzales, Southeast Missouri
Nora Vicsek, Tennessee Tech
Karsyn Hasch, Murray State
Marian Wolski, Eastern Kentucky
Pamela Penaloza, Austin Peay
Peyton Roehnelt, SIUE
Danae Kaldaridou, UT Martin
Anna Brock Hawkins, Belmont
Cheyenne Carden, Jacksonville State
Henar Urteaga, Eastern Illinois