Four Rebels Earn SEC Soccer Postseason Honors

ORANGE BEACH, Ala. Four Ole Miss soccer players received honors from the Southeastern Conference on Tuesday. Senior defender Lyndsey Williams was named SEC Co-Scholar-Athlete of the Year, junior midfielder Chrissy Strini received first team All-SEC honors and sophomore midfielder Jennifer Hance and freshman defender Danielle Johnson were both named to the second-team squad, as voted on by the league’s 12 SEC women’s soccer coaches.

A native of Germantown, Tenn., Williams is a fifth-year senior who will graduate in December as a Banking and Finance major. She has amassed a 3.90 grade point average throughout her college career. She has twice earned ESPN The Magazine/CoSIDA Academic All-District accolades and is a three-time member of the SEC Academic Honor Roll. Williams is a two-time team captain and two-time team defensive MVP, and she ranks in the top 10 in school history with 78 career starts in 79 matches.

Strini was named first team All-SEC for the second straight season. The Cordova, Tenn., native is tied for the SEC lead with eight assists on the year and also scored her first goal of the season in Friday’s 2-0 win at Mississippi State.

Strini becomes the third Rebel to be selected first team All-SEC in consecutive years. Jennifer Soileau was a three-time honoree from 1998-2000, while Kristal Menard was named to the first team in 2002 and 2003 before receiving second-team honors in 2004.

Last year’s SEC Freshman of the Year, Hance followed up a stellar rookie campaign with a solid sophomore season. Her four goals and four assists this season, along with her ability to out-jump almost any opponent for a header, helped her receive second-team honors. The Sugar Land, Texas, native becomes the sixth Rebel in school history to earn All-SEC recognition twice.

Johnson becomes the fourth Rebel in school history to earn All-SEC distinction in her freshman season and the first-ever Rebel defender to do so. The native of Baton Rouge, La., has come in her rookie season and played on all sides of the field for the Rebels, but mainly helped the defense finish first in the league with a 0.41 goals-against average and tie for the fewest goals allowed (5) in SEC play. While on the attack, Johnson has scored five goals for Ole Miss, including a hat trick in the 4-1 win over Arkansas-Little Rock.

Johnson was also named to the SEC All-Freshman team on Tuesday. Ole Miss has had at least one player named to the All-Freshman team all four years since the award was established in 2003.

The Rebels will take on Kentucky in the first round of the SEC Tournament on Wednesday at noon. Ole Miss enters the tourney as the No. 7 seed, while Kentucky is the No. 2 seed. The winner between the Rebels and Wildcats will face the victor between Auburn and Tennessee on Friday.

Listed below are the complete 2006 SEC Soccer Postseason Awards:

2006 SEC Women's Soccer Awards

COACH OF THE YEAR

Warren Lipka, Kentucky

CO-SCHOLAR-ATHLETES OF THE YEAR

Lyndsey Williams, Ole Miss

Ali Christoph, Tennessee

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Kylee Rossi, Tennessee

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR

Ronda Brooks, Auburn

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR

Carrie Patterson, Georgia

FIRST TEAM ALL-SEC

Stacy Bishop, Jr., F, Florida

Carrie Patterson, Fr., F, Georgia

Kylee Rossi, So., F, Tennessee

Ameera Abdullah, So., MF, Florida

Randi-Lynn Bruso, Sr., MF, Georgia

Chrissy Strini, Jr., MF, Ole Miss

Ali Christoph, Sr., MF, Tennessee

Ronda Brooks, Sr., D, Auburn

Lauren Hyde, Fr., D, Florida

Monica Buff, Sr., D, Vanderbilt

Anne Ogundele, Sr., GK, Kentucky

SECOND TEAM ALL-SEC

Christina Burger, Sr., F, Arkansas

Kristin Stewart, Sr., F, Auburn

Giuleana Lopez, Fr., F, Kentucky

Roslyn Jones, So., F, LSU

Amy Baumann, So., F, Vanderbilt

Jenny Zarzour, Sr., MF, Auburn

Jennifer Hance, So., MF, Ole Miss

Ashley Kirk, Jr., MF, South Carolina

Katie Schultz, So., MF, Vanderbilt

Chelsea Potts, Fr., D, LSU

Danielle Johnson, Fr., D, Ole Miss

Blakely Mattern, Fr., D, South Carolina

Courtney Cobbs, Jr., D, South Carolina

Tyler Griffin, Sr., GK, Vanderbilt

ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM

Carrie Patterson, F, Georgia

Giuleana Lopez, F, Kentucky

Michelle Makasini, F, LSU

Kim Schleif, MF, Arkansas

Gabi Rivera, MF, Auburn

Malorie Rutledge, MF, LSU

Lauren Hyde, D, Florida

Chelsea Potts, D, LSU

Danielle Johnson, D, Ole Miss

Blakely Mattern, D, South Carolina

Michelle Betos, GK, Georgia

The University of Mississippi Athletics

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