Nov. 1, 2011
IOWA CITY, Iowa — Four University of Iowa women’s soccer student-athletes received All-Big Ten honors, the announcement coming Tuesday from the conference office. Seniors Morgan Showalter and Gabrielle Tinner were awarded second team defense and sportsmanship, respectively, while freshmen Cloe Lacasse and Caitlin Brown were named to the all-freshman team.
Showalter captured her second postseason all-conference award as a defender. The Cedar Rapids, Iowa, native also garnered All-Big Ten honors following her freshman campaign. Showalter moved to defender for her senior season to help balance experience and newcomers in the backfield, and has helped lead the defense to one of its most successful seasons in history, allowing only 17 goals in 19 games. The senior became the program’s all-time assists leader this season with 27 during her career, nine during the 2011 campaign.
Tinner earned her first career conference honor. The senior from Quantico, Va., has competed in four games for the Hawkeyes this season. As Iowa’s sportsmanship honoree, Tinner will be up for the Big Ten’s Outstanding Sportsmanship award, given to one male and one female student-athlete at the end of the year.
Lacasse, a forward, and Brown, a defender, earn all-freshman honors after playing critical roles in Iowa’s success during their rookie seasons. Lacasse, a native of Sudbury, Ontario, is the team’s leading scorer with 12 goals and six assists for 30 points, each a mark that ranks among the program’s all-time bests. Brown, a native of Ann Arbor, Mich., has started every game as a part of Iowa’s back line. The Hawkeye newcomer was part of a defense that has only allowed 17 goals in 19 games and four losses on the season, both all-time lows. Brown and her fellow defenders boast the best goals allowed against average of any Hawkeye team at 0.87.
This group of Hawkeyes is the first to have four honorees since 2008 when Jenna Aleo (second team midfielder), Emily Moran and Showalter (all-freshman team) and Kelsey Shaw (sportsmanship) were each awarded all-conference honors. This is the third time that a pair of freshmen has collected awards.
Iowa kicks off the Big Ten Tournament in Evanston, Ill., Wednesday morning, facing Michigan State. The No. 6 Hawkeyes and No. 3 Spartans are set to play at 10:30 a.m.