PAC announces all-conference women’s soccer teams, annual award winners

PAC announces all-conference women’s soccer teams, annual award winners

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GREENVILLE, Pa. (pacathletics.org) – The Presidents' Athletic Conference (PAC) released its 2016 All-PAC women's soccer teams and yearly award winners Thursday.

The ballot for the all-conference teams and annual award winners was voted on by league’s 10 head women’s soccer coaches.

PAC Player of the Year honors went to Thomas More College senior midfielder Laura Felix (Burlington, Ky. / St. Henry), while PAC Coach of the Year honors went to Chatham University fifth-year head coach Betsy Warren.  

Felix, a team captain this season, is the fourth Thomas More player to be voted the league’s Player of the Year since the Saints entered the PAC in 2005.

Felix, a four-time All-PAC selection and two-time first team pick, ranks second on the team in assists (5), fourth in points (17) and is tied for fourth in goals scored (6). She finished the nine-match PAC regular season with four goals and a pair of assists.  

A terrific two-way midfielder who has contributed at both ends of the field throughout her career, Felix has totaled 17 goals, 10 assists and 44 points in 86 matches for Thomas More. Recently selected as a member of the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) Academic All-District Women’s Soccer Team for the second-straight year, she was named a National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) Division III First Team Scholar All-America in 2015.

Defensively, the Saints currently lead all of NCAA Division III in goals against average (.141) and shutout percentage (.857) and have registered a combined 18 shutouts this season. The Saints have ceded just three goals this season and have not allowed a goal by a PAC opponent since November 2, 2013, a span of 35 matches (27 regular season, 8 postseason).

A two-time selection to the NSCAA Division III All-Great Lakes First Team, Felix was named a NSCAA Division III All-America Second Team selection following the 2015 season.

Fourth-ranked Thomas More, winners of six-straight PAC Championship Tournament titles, was selected as a first and second round host for this year’s Division III Championship, which will get underway this weekend at BB&T Field in Crestview Hills, Kentucky. The Saints (20-0-1) will host Penn State Behrend Friday at 11 a.m.

Warren has led Chatham to its most successful season in program history, posting an 11-5-2 overall record and 6-3 mark in the PAC while advancing to their first-ever PAC Championship Tournament. Chatham was invited to compete in this year’s Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Championship where the third-seeded Cougars will travel to second-seeded Stevenson University Saturday at 2 p.m. for a first round matchup. 

The PAC Team Sportsmanship Award was claimed by Grove City College for the fifth-straight year. The PAC’s Team Sportsmanship Award program was started during the 2008-09 sports season and is an ongoing effort to recognize and encourage positive sportsmanship among conference teams. Led by 24th-year head coach Melissa Lamie, the Wolverines were also invited to this year’s ECAC Division III Championship. Grove City (15-5), the region’s top seed, will face fourth-seeded Frostburg State University Saturday at 11 a.m. at Stevenson. 

2016 PAC Award Winners
PAC Player of the Year: Thomas More senior midfielder Laura Felix
PAC Coach of the Year: Chatham's Betsy Warren
PAC Team Sportsmanship Award: Grove City
 
2016 All-PAC First Team
Name School Position Year Hometown / High School
Megan Sieg Chatham F Jr. Pittsburgh, Pa. / Serra Catholic
Lacy Harkrader Grove City F Jr. Mineral, Va. / Louisa County
Lindsay Hutton Grove City MF Jr. Hackettstown, N.J. / Hackettstown
Jordyn White Grove City D Sr. Mars, Pa. / Mars
Megan Barton Thomas More GK Sr. Florence, Ky. / Villa Madonna
Laura Felix Thomas More MF Sr. Burlington, Ky. / St. Henry
Erika LaRosa Thomas More MF Sr. Cincinnati, Ohio / Seton
Taylor Robinson Thomas More MF Sr. Alexandria, Ky. / Campbell County
Lauren Rose Thomas More MF Sr. West Chester, Ohio / Lakota West
Josie Madden W&J MF Jr. McKeesport, Pa. / Elizabeth Forward
Tatiana Ruzzini W&J MF Jr. Bethel Park, Pa. / Bethel Park
Jordan Toohey W&J F Jr. Mount Pleasant, Pa. / Mount Pleasant
 
2016 All-PAC Second Team
Name School Position Year Hometown / High School
Julie Bruening Chatham MF So. Madison, Ohio / Madison 
Kimberly Orihel Geneva F Sr. Green, Ohio / Cuyahoga Valley Christian
Claire Kocur Grove City D So. Cranberry Township, Pa. / Seneca Valley
Trishae Winters Grove City GK Jr. Pittsburgh, Pa. / Hampton
Molly Drach Saint Vincent D Fr. Middletown, Del. / Padua Academy
Emma Polinski Thiel D Fr. Brunswick, Ohio / Trinity
Emily Cummings Thomas More D Sr. Cincinnati, Ohio / Glen Este
Samantha Goodwin Thomas More D Jr. Cincinnati, Ohio / Seton
Aundrea Snyder W&J MF Sr. DuBois, Pa. / DuBois Central Christian
Keely Birsic Westminster D So. North Ridgeville, Ohio / Elyria Catholic
 
2016 All-PAC Honorable Mention
Name School Position Year Hometown / High School
Julie Slezak Bethany D Sr. Latrobe, Pa. / Greater Latrobe
Katelyn Sieg Chatham D So. Pittsburgh, Pa. / Serra Catholic
Becca Ceffaratti Geneva F So. West Chester, Pa. / Bayard Rustin
Corinne Burk Saint Vincent GK So. Smithsburg, Md. / Smithsburg
Sam Nichols Waynesburg D Jr. Waynesboro, Pa. / Waynesboro
Sammy Creese Westminster D Sr. Mount Airy, Md. / Glenelg
Kiana Kawarizadeh Westminster MF Fr. New Albany, Ohio / New Albany
Ashley Smialek Westminster GK Fr. Chicago, Ill. / Marist