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The University of Mississippi Athletics
Renie, Menard Earn SEC Soccer Honors
11/6/2002 | Soccer
Nov. 6, 2002
OXFORD, Miss. - Ole Miss' Kelly Renie was named the 2002 SEC Soccer Freshman of the Year and joined teammate Kristal Menard on the All-SEC first team Wednesday night, as announced at the SEC Tournament Awards Banquet in Oxford.
Renie is the first Rebel soccer player to earn SEC Freshman of the Year honors and second Ole Miss athlete to claim the award in the last year, joining Seth Smith from baseball in the spring.
A redshirt freshman forward from Carmel, Ind., Renie has been one of the nation's premier goal_scorers in 2002, ranking top 12 in Division I in goals per game. After missing last season with a torn ACL, Renie returned to lead the SEC in goals and total points in league games. She recorded the game_winner in nine of the 13 UM victories, and finished the regular season with 18 goals, the second_highest single-season total in school history.
"It's a great statement about the future of our program to field the SEC Freshman of the Year," said Rebel head coach Steve Holeman. "Kelly was awesome all year. You look at how many close games we played, and she was the difference in so many of them."
A sophomore midfielder from Anchorage, Ky., Menard moved from forward to the midfield in 2002 and quickly became a key component in the Rebel attack. She recorded a goal and an assist in the Rebels' first road victory at Alabama, and she also netted the game_winner against Mississippi State. Menard boasts a team_high five assists and finished second in total points in league games.
"Kristal is a playmaker and a phenomenal talent in the midfield," Holeman said. "She's a very bright soccer player and one of the most intelligent in the league."
Ole Miss was one of only four teams with two players on the all-conference first team. Raising their all-time All-SEC selection total to nine, the Rebels have had at least one first team honoree each of the last six seasons.
Auburn's Karen Richter took home SEC Coach of the Year honors after guiding the Tigers to their first regular-season league championship. AU sophomore forward Sarah Steinmann was selected as the Player of the Year.
The 2002 SEC Tournament opens Thursday with a four-game slate beginning at 11:30 a.m. CST at Ole Miss Soccer Stadium. The two-semi-final matches are Friday at 5 and 7:30, and the championship game is Sunday at 2:30 p.m.
A first-time tourney host, Ole Miss (13-3-2, 5-3-1 SEC) is enjoying its best season ever, finishing top three in the overall conference standings for the first time. The No. 3 seed Rebels play the finale Thursday at 7:30 p.m. against No. 6 Kentucky (10-7, 4-4 SEC).
