INDIANAPOLIS – Eight Great Lakes Valley Conference women's soccer players earned recognition on the Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) All-Midwest Region First and Second Team as nominated and selected by the region's sports information directors, it was announced Wednesday (Nov. 15).
Three were named to the First Team, including Bellarmine's Taylor Smith (GK) as well as Quincy's Mackenzie Rief (F) and Allison Birke (D). All three of those standouts were named to the All-GLVC First Team, while Rief was named GLVC Offensive Player of the Year and Birke was the league's Defensive Player of the Year.
The second team was comprised of McKendree's Zoe Brochu (GK) and Sydnee Carroll (F), along with Quincy's Katie Heiligenstein (MF) and Natalie Quisenberry (D), as well as Southern Indiana's Madelyne Juenger (D).
The 13 first-team All-Region selections will now be placed on the national ballot for All-America Consideration. The All-America teams are scheduled to be released on Wednesday, Nov. 29. The complete D2CCA Midwest Region teams can be found below.
The Division II Conference Commissioners Association encourages and promotes Division II athletics and high standards of sportsmanship as important elements of higher education. The CCA is a key communications link among the conferences as they discuss views, policies and regulations that impact Division II intercollegiate athletics and works closely with the NCAA as a communications channel to NCAA Division II member colleges and universities.
FIRST TEAM
| Pos. |
Name |
School |
Yr. |
Hometown |
| GK |
Taylor Smith |
Bellarmine |
Sr. |
Louisville, Ky. |
| F |
Gabriella Mencotti |
Grand Valley |
Sr. |
Novi, Mich. |
| F |
Konstantina Giannou |
Ohio Valley |
Fr. |
Riza, Greece |
| F |
Mackenzie Rief |
Quincy |
Sr. |
Wentzville, Mo. |
| F |
Morgan Bittengle |
Ashland |
Sr. |
Pickerington, Ohio |
| MF |
Tara Lierman |
Grand Valley |
Jr. |
Holt, Mich. |
| MF |
Lauren Bates |
Ohio Dominican |
Sr. |
Hilliard, Ohio |
| MF |
Dani Johnson |
Grand Valley |
Sr. |
Toledo, Ohio |
| MF |
Paula Valbuena |
Ohio Valley |
Fr. |
Bogota, Colombia |
| D |
Ana Da Costa |
Ohio Valley |
So. |
San Jose, Costa Rica |
| D |
Cecilia Steinwascher |
Grand Valley |
Fr. |
Sterling Heights, Mich. |
| D |
Allison Birke |
Quincy |
Sr. |
O’Fallon, Mo. |
| D |
Shannon Quinn |
Grand Valley |
Sr. |
Grand Rapids, Mich. |
SECOND TEAM
| Pos. |
Name |
School |
Yr. |
Hometown |
| GK |
Zoe Brochu |
McKendree |
So. |
Ajax, Ontario, Canada |
| F |
Ava Cook |
Grand Valley |
Fr. |
Battle Creek, Mich. |
| F |
Olivia Peters |
Walsh |
So. |
Glenview, Ill. |
| F |
Sydnee Carroll |
McKendree |
Jr. |
Millstadt, Ill. |
| F |
Madisyn Hunt |
Kentucky Wesleyan |
Fr. |
Jasper, Ind. |
| MF |
Bri Rogers |
Ferris State |
Fr. |
Livonia, Mich. |
| MF |
Katie Heiligenstein |
Quincy |
Sr. |
Wentzville, Mo. |
| MF |
Brianna Sanborn |
Walsh |
Sr. |
Twinsburg, Ohio |
| MF |
Grace Miorelli |
Cedarville |
Sr. |
Souderton, Pa. |
| D |
Madelyne Juenger |
Southern Indiana |
Fr. |
Columbia, Ill. |
| D |
Natalie Quisenberry |
Quincy |
Sr. |
St. Louis, Mo. |
| D |
Jennifer Muana |
Saginaw Valley |
So. |
Windsor, Ontario, Canada |
| D |
Alisha Himes |
Walsh |
So. |
Lebanon, Ohio |
Midwest Region Player of the Year: Grand Valley State senior forward Gabriella Mencotti