Maryville, Drury, McKendree Earn GLVC Women’s Soccer Postseason Awards

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INDIANAPOLIS – Maryville University senior forward Lexi Gentry and coach Lori Lawson, Drury University senior defender Andrea Camargo and senior goalkeeper Kaitlin Knetzke, and McKendree University freshman midfielder Maggie Gleckler have earned major postseason honors for the 2023 Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) Women’s Soccer season, the league office announced on Thursday.
 
Gentry was named Offensive Player of the Year, Camargo earned Defensive Player of the Year, Knetzke claimed Goalkeeper of the Year, Gleckler garnered Freshman of the Year, and Lawson was dubbed Coach of the Year by her peers. In total, 33 student-athletes claimed All-Conference honors, while 14 were chosen as GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship honorees for the sport and Truman State University was selected as the team sportsmanship award winner.

The All-Conference awards are nominated and voted on by league coaches, who, per GLVC Bylaws, are not permitted to vote for their own players.
 
Offensive Player of the Year: Lexi Gentry, Senior, Midfielder, Maryville

• Becomes Maryville’s first-ever Offensive Player of the Year.
  • Second overall major award winner with the most recent going to Alex Johnson as the Freshman of the Year in 2017.
• Led league in assists (8) and assists per game (.471) while finishing third in points (20) and points per game (1.11), as well.
  • Added six goals (3 game-winning) on 42 shots (21 on goal)
• Led league in GLVC-only games with eight assists and .615 assists per game
  • Placed third in points (16) and fourth in points per game (1.23)
  • Added four goals (2 game-winning) on 30 shots (16 on goal)
• Named GLVC Offensive Player of the Week on Sep. 11.
• Helped Saints secure No. 1 seed in GLVC Championship Tournament.
• Earns her fourth-straight All-Conference honor and second consecutive on the First Team.

 
Defensive Player of the Year: Andrea Camargo, Senior, Defender, Drury

• Becomes Drury’s second Defensive Player of the Year, as Jessie Sanderson was the first in 2007.
  • Fourth overall major award winner with the most recent going to Tara Simon as the Freshman of the Year in 2021.
• Started all 17 games on the backline, registering 1,529 minutes, helping Drury hold opponents to 14 goals while recording nine shutouts.
• Added seven points on three goals and one assist.
• Also named to All-GLVC First Team for her third All-Conference selection.

 
Goalkeeper of the Year: Kaitlin Knetzke, Senior, Drury

• Becomes first-ever GLVC Goalkeeper of the Year and fifth overall major award winner for Drury.
• Started all 17 games and played in all 1,530 minutes.
• Led league in goals against average (.412) and shutouts (12) while finishing third in save percentage (.841) and sixth in saves (40).
• Led league in GLVC-only matches with a .308 goals against average and 10 shutouts
  • Placed third in save percentage (.867) and sixth in saves (26)
• Named GLVC Defensive Player of the Week on Sep. 18, Oct. 2, and Oct. 23.
• Also named to All-GLVC First Team for her second All-Conference selection.

Freshman of the Year: Maggie Gleckler, Midfielder, McKendree

• Becomes McKendree’s second Freshman of the Year after Anna Stiffler was the first in 2021 spring season, while also being the seventh overall major award winner.
• Tied for third in league games with six assists and .353 assists per game.
  • Added two goals for total of 10 points.
• Finished tied for fourth in GLVC-only matches with five assists and .385 assists per game.
  • Recorded one goal for total of seven points.
• Only freshman to earn All-GLVC recognition this season.

 
Coach of the Year: Lori Lawson, Maryville

• Voted by her peers as Maryville’s first Coach of the Year in the sport, marking the fifth-straight season a mentor has earned the postseason award for the first time.
• Led Maryville to 13-2-3 overall record and 10-1-2 GLVC record, as well as the top seed in GLVC Championship Tournament.
• In addition to guiding Gentry to a major honor, mentored total of nine players to All-GLVC recognition, including first-teamers Gentry, Ashlyne Hunt, and Halle Ezell.

 
In addition to Maryville’s trio – Gentry, Hunt, and Ezell – and Drury’s Camargo and Knetzke, six others earned All-GLVC First Team honors. Panther midfielders Kourtney Tucker and Tara Simon were joined by two other teammate pairs – McKendree University’s Anna Stiffler (forward) and Morgan Bova (defender) and Rockhurst Universitys’s Anna Lantz (forward) and Greta Seal (defender) – to fill out the First Team.
 
The 14 GLVC James R. Spalding Sportsmanship Award honorees are listed below, which are student-athletes who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These individuals must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. The honorees are now eligible to become one of their school’s two Spalding Sportsmanship Award winners, which will be announced at the end of the academic year.
 
A complete list of the 2023 All-GLVC teams and postseason honors can be found below.
 
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Lexi Gentry, MF, Sr., Maryville
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Andrea Camargo, D, Sr., Drury
GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR: Kaitlin Knetzke, Sr., Drury
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR: Maggie Gleckler, MF, McKendree
COACH OF THE YEAR: Lori Lawson, Maryville
 

FIRST TEAM Kourtney Tucker, MF, Sr., DU Tara Simon, MF, Jr., DU Andrea Camargo, D, Sr., DU Kaitlin Knetzke, GK, Sr., DU Ashlyne Hunt, F, Jr., MU Lexi Gentry, MF, Sr., MU Halle Ezell, D, Sr., MU Anna Stiffler, F, Sr., MCK Morgan Bova, D, Gr., MCK Anna Lantz, F, So., RU Greta Seal, D, Sr., RU

SECOND TEAM Abby Dellamorte, F, Sr., UIS Sierra Cenek, F, Gr., UIS Elisa Aguilar, MF, Sr., LEWIS Bekah Nielsen, GK, Sr., LEWIS Elsa Nilson-Hurtig, F, So., MU Lotte Brands, D, Jr., MU Maddie Dickerman, D, Sr., MU Ulrika Bredin, D, Jr., MU Katie Spotanski, MF, Sr., MCK Kayley Judy, MF, Jr., UMSL Jacqueline Nieters, D, Jr., RU

THIRD TEAM Elsa Gonzalez, F, Sr., DU Ines Villanueva Casal, MF, Sr., DU Audrey Camargo, D, Sr., DU Madison Grandys, MF, Sr., UIS Tori Calvert, MF, Jr., MU Gigi Yurevich, GK, So., MU Lena Higgins, F, Jr., MCK Maggie Gleckler, MF, Fr., MCK Maria Voss, D, Jr., MCK Jada Holloman, F, Jr., UMSL Jaycee Cotton, D, Jr., UMSL

 
 
JAMES R. SPALDING SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD HONOREES
Ines Villanueva Casal, DU
Sierra Cenek, UIS
Zy'Aire Parker, UINDY
Elisa Aguilar, LEWIS
Maddie Dickerman, MU
Destiny Johnson, MCK
Andersyn Foster, S&T
Emily Bloomfield, UMSL
Lisa Albarran, QU
Halle Mallum, RU
Abby Youngblood, SBU
Casey Hansen, TSU
Haylie Hutchinson, UIU
Rylie May, WJC
 
JAMES R. SPALDING SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD TEAM WINNER
Truman State