3 Hawkeyes Earn NSCAA All-Region Honors

Dec. 4, 2013

IOWA CITY, Iowa — Three University of Iowa soccer players — junior Cloe Lacasse, junior Melanie Pickert and senior Alex Melin — were named NSCAA/Continental Tire NCAA Division I All-Great Lakes Region honorees, the NSCAA announced Wednesday. Lacasse and Pickert were second-team selections, while Melin earned a third-team nod.

It is the first time in program history Iowa has garnered three all-region honorees in a single season. It is the second-straight season Lacasse has earned a second-team distinction, while the honors are the first of Pickert and Melin’s career.

“Any individual award is a reflection of how the team has done and the team had a great year,” said UI head coach Ron Rainey. “For these individuals, it is awesome to get recognized by the coaches in the region and the coaches we played against. I am excited for the team and for Cloe, Mel and Alex.”

Lacasse finished her junior season with six goals and three assists for a team-leading 19 points en route to second team All-Big Ten honors. The Sudbury, Ontario, native has been Iowa’s top point scorer in each of her first three seasons and has 31 career goals, 20 career assists and 82 career points.

Pickert paced the Hawkeyes with seven goals out of the defender position, while also being credited with four assists. The Canton, Mich., native also was a key cog in an Iowa defense that tied a program record with 10 shutouts and surrendered just 12 shots a game. Pickert was also a second-team All-Big Ten honoree in 2013.

Melin made Iowa go in the midfield, scoring four goals and tallying a pair of assists in her senior season. The Verona, Wis., native and team co-captain started all 23 games in 2013 and all 82 games of her collegiate career. She finished with 14 career goals, six career assists and 34 career points.

The Hawkeyes concluded the 2013 season with a school-record 15 victories, won the first two postseason games in program history en route to the championship game of the Big Ten Tournament and made the program’s first-ever NCAA Tournament appearance.