Hill, Griffin Earn Major SEC Honors

Hill, Griffin Earn Major SEC Honors

11/2/2005

Orange Beach, Ala. – Vanderbilt Coach Ronnie Coveleskie Hill and goalkeeper Tyler Griffin earned major honors Wednesday evening at the 2005 Southeastern Conference Women’s Soccer Awards Banquet in Orange Beach, Ala.

Hill shared the SEC Coach of the Year award with Tennessee’s Angela Kelly while Griffin became the first Commodore player ever to be honored as the SEC Defensive Player of the Year. Voting was conducted by conference coaches.

Hill earns her first SEC Coach of the Year honor after leading Vanderbilt to an 8-2-1 mark in SEC play and the best overall record in the league at 15-3-1.  The Commodores tied with Florida for second in the SEC Eastern Division and are the fourth seed in the SEC Tournament.  It is their best conference finish since finishing second in 1998.  Hill has continued her steady climb in the SEC Standings after a 5-2-4 record in SEC play in 2004.  Vanderbilt looks to earn their first NCAA Tournament berth since 1998 after earning its first national ranking under Hill this season.

Griffin earned the SEC Defensive Player of the Year award, leading a Commodore defense that held SEC opponents to only six goals in 11 conference matches.  Griffin, a junior from Charlotte, N.C., helped lead the Vanderbilt defense to an SEC record 14 shutouts this season, including 12 solo shutouts which ties an SEC record.

The Commodores, who open SEC Tournament play Thursday evening against Georgia, had four other team members honored.  In addition to Griffin, junior Kim Perkins (defense, Highlands Ranch, Colo.) was named to the first team while two more juniors, Lea Lafield (forward, Dallas, Tex.) and Monica Buff (defense, Lilburn, Ga.) were chosen on the second team.  Lafield is the team’s leading scorer.  Vanderbilt’s Jessica Lenze (forward, Peachtree City, Ga.) and Katie Schulz (midfield, Peachtree City, Ga.) were named to the all-freshman team.

Alabama’s Libby Probst garnered SEC Soccer Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors and Georgia’s Ali Williams took home SEC Offensive Player of the Year honors. Jennifer Hance of Ole Miss is the SEC Freshman of the Year.

2005 SEC Women’s Soccer Awards

CO-COACHES OF THE YEAR
Angela Kelly, Tennessee
Ronnie Coveleskie Hill, Vanderbilt

SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Libby Probst, Alabama

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Ali Williams, Georgia

DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Tyler Griffin, Vanderbilt

FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Jennifer Hance, Ole Miss

Kim Perkins

Tyler Griffin

FIRST TEAM ALL-SEC
Ali Williams, Sr., F, Georgia
Courtney McCrudden, Sr., F, Kentucky
Genna Gorman, So., F, Tennessee
Randi-Lynn Bruso, Jr., MF, Georgia
Ali Christoph, Jr., MF, Tennessee
Jennifer Hance, Fr., MF, Ole Miss
Chrissy Strini, So., MF, Ole Miss
Melanie Booth, Jr., D, Florida
Ronda Brooks, Jr., D, Auburn
Kim Perkins, Jr., D, Vanderbilt
Tyler Griffin, Jr., GK, Vanderbilt

Lea Lafield

Monica Buff

SECOND TEAM ALL-SEC
Tina Burger, Jr., F, Arkansas
Megan Kerns, Fr., F, Florida
Lea Lafield, Jr., F, Vanderbilt
Kylie Rossi, Fr., F, Tennessee
Melissa Clarke, Fr., MF, LSU
Cortni Joyner, Jr., MF, Georgia
Ashley Kirk, So., MF, South Carolina
Monica Buff, Jr., D, Vanderbilt
Ashley Eason, Sr., D, Auburn
Ashley Harris, So., D, Florida
Vanessa Phillips-Bosshart, Sr., GK, Tennessee

Jessica Lenze

Katie Schulz

ALL-FRESHMAN TEAM
Jackie Acevado, F, Tennessee
Megan Kerns, F, Florida
Jessica Lenze, F, Vanderbilt
Kylie Rossi, F, Tennessee
Melissa Clarke, MF, LSU
Jennifer Hance, MF, Ole Miss
Katie Schulz, MF, Vanderbilt
Christine Breaux, D, Ole Miss
Bethany Frazier, D, Mississippi State
Jennifer Johnson, D, Auburn
Colleen Posey, D, Alabama
Megan Tomlinson, D, Georgia
Kara Gudmens, GK, Alabama