Lady Railsplitters Tab Five Awards At LMU Athletics Banquet
April 27, 2012
Compliments of Allen Earl PhotographyHARROGATE, TN -- The Lincoln Memorial University women's soccer team and head coach Helio D'Anna put the 2011 season to bed with the presentation of five awards at the LMU Athletics Banquet on Wednesday evening. That night serves as the annual celebration of the year in Railsplitter athletics.
This season, the Lady Railsplitters finished with an 8-8-2 overall mark and a 4-4-1 record in the South Atlantic Conference, which garnered a six-seed. LMU fell in the opening pairing to Newberry College to close their season.
The first award was the Coaches Award, a distinction that went to Michelle Allen. In her first season at LMU, the Cove, Utah native was a strong component of the season that was for LMU. She played in all 18 games, starting 15, and recorded four points and two goals. She logged 1,043 minutes and 18 shots on goal.
The Rookie of the Year Award went to Samantha Hilliard, a 5'5" defender out of Sterling Heights, Michigan. Hilliard was a mainstay on the defense for the Lady Railsplitters as she compiled 13 starts in 17 appearances with 1,429 minutes played.
The Defensive Player of the Year honor went to Teresa Doyle, a 5'4" sophomore out of Severn, Maryland. Doyle started and played in every game for the Lady Railsplitters while leading the way with 1,682 minutes logged. She recorded a single shot on goal.
Abby Yother was presented with the Most Improved Player distinction. The sophomore out of Cookeville, Tennessee made tremendous strides this season as she appeared in 14 games and logged 298 minutes of game action. She added an assist and four shots on goal to her resume this season.
The Most Valuable Player honor was given to senior Leanne Reid, who once again put up big numbers for the Lady Railsplitters. She played and started in all 18 games for LMU, compiling two goals and three assists with a team-high 29 shots on goal. For her efforts, Reid was named All-SAC First Team and NSCAA All-Southeast Region Second Team. For her career, the Aberdeen, Scotland native ranks second all-time at LMU with 113 shots on goal, third all-time in minutes played with 5,262, and seventh in game-winning goals with eight.
Coach D'Anna also said goodbye to his five seniors, Samantha Meek, Leanne Reid, Sarah Taylor, Sydni Bailey and Jessica Meyer, as these ladies have left an everlasting legacy at LMU.
Preparations are now underway for the 2012 season.
