Thiman earns Co-Defensive Player of the Year and six Grizzly Soccer players earn All-Jayhawk conference team honors
Sandra Thiman was named the KJCCC East Co-Defensive Player of the Year while six Grizzly soccer players earn all-conference honors after their performances on the field this past season. Sandra Thiman, Co-Defensive Player of the Year in the KJCCC East was the lone first-team all-conference recipient for the Grizzlies while Alyssa Stewart, Emily Breault, Rachel Wolecki and Lexi Winkle earned second-team honors. Abby Edson picked up honorable mention honors rounding out the Butler six.
Frist Team All-Conference:
Sandra Thiman, Sophomore, defender, Stockholm, Sweden – Started in all of the Grizzlies 19 games this season. She tied for most goals scored this season from her defender position with seven. She was relentless on the defensive side of the field and was a big reason that teams only averaged 1.07 goals per game against the Grizzlies during the season.
"Sandra was our unquestionable leader and one of the most competitive kids we have had in our program. Sandra Thiman has been one of the best center backs to ever play at Butler Community College. We look forward to seeing Sandra continue her career in the NCAA," said head coach Adam Hunter.
Second Team All-Conference
Alyssa Stewart, freshman, forward, Topeka, KS – finished third on the team in scoring with six goals while adding in three assists on the season finishing with 15 points, the second most on the team. Alyssa was a scoring threat in every game she played putting up 46 shots on the season with 24 of them on goal. She scored the only two goals for Butler in a 2-1 victory over Allen on September 24.
"Alyssa scored some very important goals for us as a freshman, goals that won games at critical points in the season. Alyssa showed a willingness to take shots when the team needed them the most. We think Alyssa will be one of the top returning forwards in the league next fall," said head coach Adam Hunter.
Emily Breault, freshman, midfielder, Valley Center, KS – was an effective midfielder with her aggressive and tenacious defense. She was a nuisance to many forwards across the conference and played a large role in the Grizzlies defense. Offensively she had one assist on the season.
"Emily did a lot of the team's "dirty" work on the defensive side of the ball. We think Emily is one of the more physical midfielders in the KJCCC and is a big part of why we were able to allow as few goals as we did this season," said head coach Adam Hunter.
Rachel Wolecki, freshman, midfielder, Perth, Scotland – tied first teamer Sandra Thiman for most goals scored this season with seven. She also added seven assists scoring 21 points on the year.
"Rachel became the catalyst of our offense down the home stretch. Rachel showed an uncanny ability to score goals from distance and set her teammates up for opportunities as well. We expect Rachel to be one of the top attacking players in the KJCCC in 2020," said head coach Adam Hunter.
Lexi Winkle, sophomore, goalkeeper, Derby, KS – led the Grizzlies to six shutouts on the season with her dominant net presence. Winkle allowed only 17 goals in her 1359:17 minutes played this season racking up 79 saves on the year. She allowed 1.13 goals per game against her. She earned KJCCC 'Player of the Week' two times and NJCAA 'Goalkeeper of the Week' once.
"Lexi is the consummate example of humility, willingness to learn, hard work and dedication paying off. Here is a kid who was our backup keeper her freshman year to being one of the best keepers in the NJCAA. The fact of the matter is this, Lexi Winkle gave us an opportunity to win some big games this year. We believe that Lexi is very deserving of being recognized as an all-conference selection," said head coach Adam Hunter.
Honorable Mention All-Conference:
Abby Edson, sophomore, defender, Newton, KS – in her 12 games played, was a constant on the defensive end. Her field awareness and ball control helped the Grizzlies to allowing only 1.07 goals per game. She scored one goal on the season against Allen.
"Abby brought a wealth of experience back to the team this fall. Even as a center back, she was the only player on the team that scored a goal in the 2018 National Tournament. Abby has so much big game experience that she wasn't easily rattled and helped us shut down some of the top goal scorers in our league," said head coach Adam Hunter.