SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – Co-champions Denver and Oral Roberts each had two honorees among the six 2025 Summit League individual women’s soccer award winners announced Thursday by League officials, who also recognized the first and second all-league and all-newcomer teams.
Oral Roberts’ Julia Thasaphong was named the Summit League Offensive Player of the Year, marking the first Golden Eagle to do so since Lexi Jones in 2016. Thasaphong capped off her regular season campaign with two goals and three assists in Summit action. Her combined seven points placed her seventh among league players in conference play.
Oral Roberts head coach Austin Risenhoover was named the Summit League Coach of the Year after steering the Golden Eagles to an impressive 6-1-1 record and their first regular season title since 2004. He’s the first ORU coach since Roger Bush in 2016 to garner the award.
The Golden Eagles were predicted to finish fourth in the preseason poll after closing the 2024 regular season with a 3-2-3 mark in league play. The six league wins this season are the most for ORU since 2015 when the Golden Eagles finished conference play with a 6-2 record.
Denver veteran Hannah Tate collected Midfielder of the Year honors after leading the Pioneers to a share of the regular season title, garnering an identical league mark to ORU’s of 6-1-1 and 19 points. The 2024 Summit League second teamer tied for ninth among league players with two goals with both being game-winners against North Dakota (1-0) and South Dakota (2-1). She also added an assist to collect five total points.
The Omaha, Neb., native’s second game-winner came in thrilling fashion, as her 86th-minute tally in Denver’s regular season finale against South Dakota earned DU a share the regular season crown.
Fellow Pioneer Emma Thielbahr was named the Defensive Player of the Year after anchoring the back line for the Denver defense, becoming the second Pioneer to collect the award in the last five years (Devan McSwain, 2021-22). Thielbahr helped Denver hold conference opponents to a league-low five goals in eight Summit matches.
Thielbahr helped Denver limit each conference opponent to one goal or fewer this season, while also adding a goal against North Dakota State (Sept. 28) and an assist vs. Kansas City (Oct. 2).
South Dakota State’s Mallorie Benhart was tabbed as the Goalkeeper of the Year after logging 694 minutes between the pipes for the Jackrabbits. The Green Bay transfer ranked second amongst league keepers in saves (36), save percentage (.837), saves per game (4.50), and goals against average (.91).
The Lakeville, Minn., native recorded two shutouts in league play against North Dakota State (Oct. 5) and South Dakota (Oct. 18) to give her six total on her junior campaign. Benhart held opponents to only two multi-goal outings in Summit League play.
South Dakota’s Klarissa Vega was named the Newcomer of the Year following a breakout season for the Yotes, garnering the honor for the first time in program history. After redshirting last season, the Menifee, Calif., native started all eight Summit League matches, recording two goals and two assists for six points.
Vega pushed South Dakota to its best seeding in the Summit League Championship since 2021 and their sixth appearance overall. The Yotes finished 3-3-2 in league play with 11 points.
Oral Roberts’ Brianna Castleberry (F), Precious Edosa (D), and Marlee Fort (MF) joined Thasaphong (F) in earning a spot on the All-Summit League First Team. The honor marks the second consecutive for Thasaphong. Denver had three players earn a first-team nod as Tate and Thielbahr were joined by midfielder Isabella Chidiac.
South Dakota State defender Lauren Eckerle, who led all Summit players with five assists in conference action, earned her initial All-League First Team nod, joining Benhart (GK) with that distinction.
Kansas City’s Olivia Platt (MF) and Riley Porter (F) rounded out the first-team, with both players earning the award for the first time in their respective careers after sharing the league lead with four goals in conference play.
There was a quartet of forwards on the All-League Second Team as South Dakota State’s Mia Bosch, Omaha’s Kendall Dobberstein, North Dakota State’s Morgan Russmann, and South Dakota’s Klarissa Vega were all honored. Bosch, Dobberstein, and Vega each earned the honor for the first time, while Russmann collected her first second-team nod after being named to the first team a season ago.
The second-team midfielder trio featured UND’s Cora Ellermann, SDSU’s Jenna Maloy, and USD’s Mali Van Meeteren, each earning the honor for the first time.
The second-team defenders include Oral Roberts’ Alani Chaple, South Dakota State’s Ellie Gusman, and Omaha’s Lauren Schmidt, while Denver’s Alina Santos earned the goalkeeper spot to round out the team.
The group of players earning honorable mention honors included five defenders made up of South Dakota’s Rylee Haldeman and Sam Luft, North Dakota’s Amelia Loeffler, Oral Roberts’ Kylee Munson, and Denver’s Annie Philbin. Four forwards were recognized, including North Dakota’s Charlie Basinet, South Dakota State’s Emma Brezenski, and Kansas City’s duo Ashley Koch and Delfina Zolesio. Oral Roberts’ Carson Arne was the lone midfielder honored, while North Dakota’s Grace Miller claimed the sole goalkeeper recognition to round out the honorable mention list.
Benhart, Brezenski, Dobberstein, Ellermann, Maloy, Porter, and Vega also earned spots on the Summit League All-Newcomer Team. The final four selections included Omaha’s Presley Douglas (D), UND’s Yui Fujii (MF), DU’s Annie Philbin (D), and SDSU’s Taylor Thomas (D).
In Saturday's opening quarterfinal of the 2025 Summit League Women’s Soccer Championship, No. 3 South Dakota State hosts No. 6 Omaha in Brookings at 5 p.m. CT. The second quarterfinal will be played in Vermillion on Sunday, Nov. 2 between No. 4 South Dakota and No. 5 Kansas City at 1 p.m. CT.
The winner of the Jackrabbits-Mavericks’ match will take on No. 2 Denver at 1 p.m. CT on Thursday, Nov. 6 in the first of two semifinal matches in Tulsa, Okla. The second semifinal contest will pit top-seeded Oral Roberts against the winner of the Coyotes-Roos’ tilt at 7:30 p.m. CT. Sunday’s title match is slated for 1 p.m. CT in Tulsa. All five matches will be streamed live on the Summit League Network.
2025 Individual Awards (as selected by The Summit League head coaches)
Offensive Player of the Year
Julia Thasaphong, Oral Roberts
Midfielder of the Year
Hannah Tate, Denver
Defensive Player of the Year
Emma Thielbahr, Denver
Goalkeeper of the Year
Mallorie Benhart, South Dakota State
Newcomer of the Year
Klarissa Vega, South Dakota
Coach of the Year
Austin Risenhoover, Oral Roberts
2025 All-Summit League Women's Soccer Teams
First Team
Mallorie Benhart, South Dakota State, GK
Brianna Castleberry, Oral Roberts, F
Isabella Chidiac, Denver, MF
Lauren Eckerle, South Dakota State, D
Precious Edosa, Oral Roberts, D
Marlee Fort, Oral Roberts, MF
Olivia Platt, Kansas City, MF
Riley Porter, Kansas City, F
Hannah Tate, Denver, MF
Julia Thasaphong, Oral Roberts, F
Emma Thielbahr, Denver, D
Second Team
Mia Bosch, South Dakota State, F
Alani Chaple, Oral Roberts, D
Kendall Dobberstein, Omaha, F
Cora Ellermann, North Dakota, MF
Ellie Gusman, South Dakota State, D
Jenna Maloy, South Dakota State, MF
Morgan Russmann, North Dakota State, F
Alina Santos, Denver, GK
Lauren Schmidt, Omaha, D
Mali Van Meeteren, South Dakota, MF
Klarissa Vega, South Dakota, F
Honorable Mention
Carson Arne, Oral Roberts, MF
Charlie Basinet, North Dakota, F
Emma Brezenski, South Dakota State, F
Rylee Haldeman, South Dakota, D
Ashley Koch, Kansas City, F
Amelia Loeffler, North Dakota, D
Sam Luft, South Dakota, D
Grace Miller, North Dakota, GK
Kylee Munson, Oral Roberts, D
Annie Philbin, Denver, D
Delfina Zolesio, Kansas City, F
All-Newcomer Team
Mallorie Benhart, South Dakota State, GK
Emma Brezenski, South Dakota State, F
Kendall Dobberstein, Omaha, F
Presley Douglas, Omaha D
Cora Ellermann, North Dakota, MF
Yui Fujii, North Dakota, MF
Jenna Maloy, South Dakota State, MF
Annie Philbin, Denver, D
Riley Porter, Kansas City, F
Taylor Thomas, South Dakota State, D
Klarissa Vega, South Dakota, F
#SummitWSOC
