STATE COLLEGE, Pa., December 3, 2001 - Five Penn State women's soccer players were named NSCAA/adidas All-Mid-Atlantic which was announced today by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America All-America committee. Seniors Emily Oleksiuk (Willow Grove, Pa./Archboshop Wood) and Bonnie Young (Spring, Texas/Klein), sophomore Joanna Lohman (Silver Spring, Md./Springbrook) and junior Christie Welsh (Massapequa Park, Pa./Massapequa) were named first team All-Mid-Atlantic while sophomore Heidi Drummond (Littleton, Colo./Chatfield) was selected second team.
Two-time All-American Oleksuik earns the honor for the third time in her career. She was named to the second team as a freshman. Oleksiuk has played the most minutes of any goalkeeper in the history of the NCAA, clocking 8,843 minutes in her four seasons. Posting a 20-4-1 record this season, she also had 10 shutouts and boasts an 0.75 goals against average this season. In her 100-career games, Oleksuik helped to lead Penn State to four-straight NCAA Tournament berths, including an appearance in the NCAA Women's College Cup semifinal in 1999. She leaves Happy Valley owning every Nittany Lion season and career goalkeeping record, including career saves (416), shutouts (43.75), wins (81) and goals against average (0.74). Young ends her career having played in 104 games, a record at Penn State. She began her career as a Nittany Lion on the forward line but was moved to the back line during her junior campaign because of her speed and defensive power. Named to the second team All-Mid-Atlantic team last year, Young is fourth all-time in career goals (31), fifth in assists (20), fourth in points (82) and fourth in game-winning goals (11). Lohman receives first-team honors for the second-straight year. A starter in all 26 games this season, she is third on the team in scoring with nine goals, 14 assists and 32 points. Earlier in the year, she was also named first team All-Big Ten for the second time and was named to the conference all-tournament team. Welsh is capping another outstanding season which saw her break almost every Big Ten and Penn State career offensive record. In just three years, she has amassed 69 goals, 39 assists, 177 points and 22 game-winning goals, shattering the previous record. She also broke the single-season Big Ten and Nittany Lion record for points (68) and tied the assists mark at 18. A three-time Big Ten Player of the Year recipient, Welsh is one assist away from joining the 28-member NCAA 40-goals, 40-assists club. As of Nov. 25, she was second in that nation in scoring with 2.72 points per game, third in goals per game (1.00) and seventh in assists per game (0.72). Drummond earns her first-career national award. Second on the team in scoring with 43 points on 18 goals and seven assists, she was named first team All-Big Ten. She also ranked second behind Welsh in the Big Ten in points and goals, and was seventh in assists. The Nittany Lions posted their fourth-straight 20-win season, ending the year with a 21-4-1 record. Penn State made a run to the NCAA Tournament quarterfinals before falling to North Carolina last weekend, 2-1. The Lions also claimed the Big Ten regular season title for the fourth-straight year and the tournament title for the third time in four years.
|
|
