DENVER, Colo. – The 2021 Summit League individual women’s soccer awards were spread out among the top two teams in the league as those honors along with the all-league and all-newcomer teams were announced Wednesday by league officials.
Denver’s Natalie Beckman was named the Offensive Player of the Year for the second straight season as she led the Pioneers to the program’s fourth straight regular season crown. The Denver, Colo., native broke a program record on Oct. 15 for career assists as the senior currently has 44 entering the postseason. She currently ranks second in the nation with 15 assists during this season.
Ten of those assists came in league play as she became the first #SummitWSOC student-athlete to be named Offensive Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons since Oakland’s Kristi Tomczyk in 2006 and 2007.
Fellow Pioneer Devan McSwain was named the Defensive Player of the Year as she a DU defensive unit that held Summit League opposition to just three goals in nine league matches.
The general of the Pioneers, Jeff Hooker, was named the Coach of the Year for the fourth time. This year's squad finished the campaign 13-5-1 and went unbeaten in league play for the third time since joining the Summit League with an 8-0-1 mark.
For the Jackrabbits, sophomore Jocelyn Tanner was named the Goalkeeper of the Year after helping SDSU to a program-high tying 15 wins and logged an .841 save percentage in league play. She recorded a league-high tying eight shutouts with four of those clean sheets coming in league play.
South Dakota State freshman midfielder Avery Murdzek was named the Newcomer of the Year. She appeared in all nine Summit League matches for the Jacks and leads the team in assists (7) and is tied for second in goals with six.
All 11 all-league first team honorees came from the four teams that advanced to the 2021 Championship. The top-seeded Pioneers paced all teams with nine total all-league selections, including six on the first team. Beckman earned a first team nod for the third straight year and has earned all-league accolades after all four of her collegiate seasons, while senior midfielder Sami Feller collected her fourth consecutive first-team nod.
Junior forward Sydney Sharp, the league’s leading goal scorer with eight in league play and 14 overall, earned first team all-league honors. Kaitlyn Glover and Devan McSwain, who were named to the second team last season, earned first team honors this time, while Pioneer goalkeeper Nerea Arrazola, who led the league in goals against average (2.24) and shutouts (5) in league play, joined the aforementioned quintet on the first team.
SDSU’s Tanner was one of three Jackrabbits to earn first-team honors as she was joined by forward Maya Hansen, who was tied for the second most goals in league play with six and has 13 overall. Hansen earned the third all-league honor of her career, whlie fellow Jackrabbit Adalaide Kline joined the duo in earning first team accolades.
Rounding out the first teamers were Omaha defender Margaret Lavigne, who earned her second straight all-first team nod and third overall and three-time all-league honoree Alexis Mitchell from South Dakota.
Four more members of the South Dakota team were were named to the All-League second team, giving the Coyotes the most honorees on that squad. For the second time in their careers, goalkeeper Emma Harkleroad. defenders Abby Ostrem and Taylor Ravelo earned a second team honor, while forward Jordan Centineo earned her first accolade.
The three Jackrabbits on the second team were defender Rachel Preston, forward Teani Arakawa and midfielder Avery Murdzek. They were joined by repeat honorees, who received previous all-league honors in their careers. That group includes Western Illinois senior forward Amy Andrews, who broke two program records for goal scoring this season with 26 career goals and 12 single-season goals. Omaha midfielder Grace Ostergaard and Kansas City midfielder Emma Wilson both garnered back-to-back second team accolades. Rounding out the second team honors was Denver midfielder Brittney Lewis.
South Dakota State’s Murdzek doubled-up her accolades by being named to the all-newcomer team. She was joined by fellow Jackrabbit and twin sister Laney Murdzek, along with forward Teani Arakawa and that gave that program a league-high three members on the squad.
Kansas City’s Kassi Ginther and Emma Byrne gave the Roos a pair on the all-newcomer team, while league newcomer St. Thomas had one in forward Abby Brantner. The Pios were represented by defender Riley Baker and forward Jadyn Goodrich, while the Mavericks had a trio named to the all-newcomer team in goalkeeper Rachel Thigpen, defender Sena Ahovissi and midfielder Cece Behrens. Denver defender Riley Baker rounded out the all-newcomer team.
Four of the league’s 10 teams will embark on Denver Thursday and Saturday for The Summit League Women’s Soccer Championship in Denver, Colo. The action starts Thursday at 1 p.m. MT when host Denver takes on No. 4 South Dakota, followed by No. 2 South Dakota State and No. 3 Omaha at 4 p.m. MT. All matches will be played at the University of Denver Soccer Stadium and will be streamed free of charge at thesummitleague.org/watch.
2021 Individual Awards
Offensive Player of the Year
Natalie Beckman, Denver
Defensive Player of the Year
Devan McSwain, Denver
Goalkeeper of the Year
Jocelyn Tanner, South Dakota State
Newcomer of the Year
Avery Murdzek, South Dakota State
Coach of the Year
Jeff Hooker, Denver
2021 All-Summit League Women's Soccer Teams
First Team
Nerea Arrazola, Denver, GK
Natalie Beckman, Denver, F
Sami Feller, Denver, MF
Kaitlyn Glover, Denver, MF
Maya Hansen, South Dakota State, F
Adalaide Kline, South Dakota State, D
Margaret Lavigne, Omaha, D
Devan McSwain, Denver, D
Alexis Mitchell, South Dakota, MF
Sydney Sharp, Denver, F
Jocelyn Tanner, South Dakota State, GK
Second Team
Amy Andrews, Western Illinois, F
Teani Arakawa, South Dakota State, F
Jordan Centineo, South Dakota, F
Emma Harkleroad, South Dakota, GK
Brittney Lewis, Denver, MF
Avery Murdzek, South Dakota State, MF
Grace Ostergaard, Omaha, MF
Abby Ostrem, South Dakota, D
Rachel Preston, South Dakota State, D
Taylor Ravelo, South Dakota, D
Emma Wilson, Kansas City, MF
All-Newcomer Team
Sena Ahovissi, Omaha, D
Teani Arakawa, South Dakota State, F
Riley Baker, Denver, D
Cece Behrens, Omaha, MF
Abby Brantner, St. Thomas, F
Emma Byrne, Kansas City, D
Kassi Ginther, Kansas City, F
Jadyn Goodrich, Denver, F
Avery Murdzek, South Dakota State, MF
Laney Murdzek, South Dakota State, MF
Rachel Thigpen, Omaha, GK
#SummitWSOC
