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Austin Peay’s Tatiana Ariza was named the 2012 Ohio Valley Conference Offensive Player of the Year while Southeast Missouri’s Hayley Abbott earned Defensive Player of the Year accolades as voted on by the league’s head coaches and sports information directors. UT Martin’s Saphyra Coombs-James was selected as the Freshman of the Year and the Skyhawks’ Phil McNamara was named Coach of the Year.
Ariza, a native of Bogota, Colombia, leads the league in shots (71), points (31), goals (12), assists (7) and game-winning goals (4). The junior forward has four multi-goal games this season. Ariza’s 31 points so far this season are the second-highest point total in school history while her 12 goals this year are tied for second on the APSU single season list. She spent the summer playing for the Colombian National team in the London Olympics. In addition to being named the Offensive Player of the Year, Ariza was selected to the All-OVC First Team. She is the first Austin Peay player to be named Offensive Player of the Year and becomes just third player in OVC history to be named both Freshman of the Year and Player of the Year in her career.
Abbott, a senior defender, was part of a defense that recorded six shutouts on the year. In conference action, Abbott and the Redhawks allowed eight goals over 10 games and recorded four shutouts. She has made 18 starts and played 1,805 minutes so far this year. The native of Narooma, Australia, holds the school career records for starts made and minutes played. She recorded two goals and two assists in the regular-season. Abbott was also named to the 2012 All-OVC First Team. She becomes the third different Redhawk to be named Defensive Player of the Year joining Jenny Hamilton and Lindsay Pickering who each won the honor twice.
A freshman forward, Coombs-James finished the regular-season ranking second in the league with 10 goals, 24 points and three game-winning goals. In conference action, the Brampton, Ontario, native scored seven goals to finish second in the OVC. She saw action in 18 games, making 11 starts so far this season. In addition to being named the Freshman of the Year, Coombs-James was also named to the All-OVC First Team and All-Newcomer squad. She is the first Skyhawk to receive this honor.
McNamara earned his first OVC Coach of the Year honor becoming just the second UT Martin skipper to earn the award. He led his team to an 11-5-3 overall mark while going 8-1-1 in the OVC to claim its second league regular-season crown. The Skyhawks scored 25 goals in OVC play while allowing just six scores. UT Martin is riding a five-match winning streak heading into the OVC Tournament
UT Martin had the most All-OVC First Team selections with four followed by Eastern Kentucky with three and Austin Peay with a pair . Southeast Missouri and Murray State each had one selection. Joining Ariza, Abbott and Coombs-James on the first team were: UT Martin sophomore defender Ashley Reveiz (Knoxville, Tenn.), junior midfielder Hannah McGowen (Murfreesboro, Tenn.) and sophomore goalkeeper Mariah Klenke (Breese, Ill.); Eastern Kentucky sophomore defender Emily D’Italia (Gaithersburg, Md.), junior defender Lauren Fant (Rochester Hills, Mich.) and junior forward Nikki Donnelly (Cincinnati, Ohio); Austin Peay junior midfielder Natalia Ariza (Bogota, Colombia); and Murray State senior midfielder Veronika Pribyslavska (Prague, Czech Republic).
Earning second team honors were; SIUE junior defender Kourtney Price (Eureka, Mo.), freshman midfielder Cassidy Sherman (Algonquin, Ill.), sophomore midfielder Michelle Auer (St. Louis, Mo.); and freshman goalkeeper Jennifer Pelley (St. Charles, Mo.); Eastern Illinois senior defender Ashley Streid (Granite City, Ill.) and senior forward Kristin Germann (Carbondale, Ill.); Austin Peay senior forward Emily Perkins (Nashville, Tenn.); and junior goalkeeper Haylee Shoaff (Coral Springs, Fla.); Jacksonville State freshman forward Kelsey Bright (Kingwood, Texas); Southeast Missouri senior defender Ali Bauer (St. Charles, Mo.); Tennessee Tech junior forward Ellie Iaciofano (Loveland, Ohio); and UT Martin sophomore midfielder Alyssa Curtis (Franklin, Tenn.).
Eleven student-athletes make up the 2012 OVC All-Newcomer team, which consists of freshmen, redshirt freshmen, transfers or other first-year players. In addition to Coombs-James, All-Newcomer selections include: SIUE freshman goalkeeper Jennifer Pelley (St. Charles, Mo.) and freshman midfielder Cassidy Sherman (Algonquin, Ill.); Southeast Missouri senior goalkeeper Renee Kertz (St. Louis, Mo.) and freshman defender/midfielder Paige Luehmann (Granite City, Ill.); Belmont junior forward Katie Proud (Knoxville, Tenn.); Eastern Illinois freshman forward Hannah Miller (Fishers, Ind.); Eastern Kentucky freshman midfielder Mikala Ferguson (Grove City, Ohio); Jacksonville State freshman forward Kelsey Bright (Kingwood, Texas); Morehead State freshman midfielder Kelsey Gomez (Katy, Texas); and sophomore defender Ashley Reveiz (Knoxville, Tenn.).
2012 ALL-OHIO VALLEY CONFERENCE WOMEN’S SOCCER TEAMS
(As selected by OVC women’s soccer coaches and sports information directors)
FIRST TEAM
GK - Mariah Klenke, UT Martin
D - Ashley Reveiz, UT Martin
D - Hayley Abbott, Southeast Missouri
D - Emily D’Italia, Eastern Kentucky
D - Lauren Fant, Eastern Kentucky
MF - Hannah McGowen, UT Martin
MF - Natalia Ariza, Austin Peay
MF - Veronika Pribyslavska, Murray State
F - Tatiana Ariza, Austin Peay
F - Saphyra Coombs-James, UT Martin
F - Nikki Donnelly, Eastern Kentucky
2012 OVC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Tatiana Ariza, Austin Peay
2012 OVC DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Hayley Abbott, Southeast Missouri
2012 OVC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Saphyra Coombs-James, UT Martin
2012 OVC COACH OF THE YEAR: Phil McNamara, UT Martin
SECOND TEAM
GK - Haylee Shoaff, Austin Peay
GK - Jennifer Pelley, SIUE
D - Ashley Streid, Eastern Illinois
D - Kourtney Price, SIUE
D - Ali Bauer, Southeast Missouri
MF - Alyssa Curtis, UT Martin
MF - Cassidy Sherman, SIUE
MF - Michelle Auer, SIUE
F - Kristin Germann, Eastern Illinois
F - Kelsey Bright, Jacksonville State
F - Ellie Iaciofano, Tennessee Tech
F - Emily Perkins, Austin Peay
(12 players named to the second team due to a tie)
ALL-NEWCOMER
Saphyra Coombs-James, UT Martin
Kelsey Bright, Jacksonville State
Jennifer Pelley, SIUE
Renee Kertz, Southeast Missouri
Mikala Ferguson, Eastern Kentucky
Ashley Reveiz, UT Martin
Cassidy Sherman, SIUE
Hannah Miller, Eastern Illinois
Kelsey Gomez, Morehead State
Katie Proud, Belmont
Paige Luehmann, Southeast Missouri