BRINGING HOME THE HARDWARE

Sophomore Stephanie Heines chases down the ball as a Washburn defender looks on. Southern tied the game 1-1 in two overtimes.

Sophomore Stephanie Heines chases down the ball as a Washburn defender looks on. Southern tied the game 1-1 in two overtimes.

The accolades just keep coming for junior midfielder Nikki Llewellyn, as Nov. 6 she was selected to the Daktronics All-Central Region first-team for the second consecutive season.

This follows a first-team All-MIAA selection and a spot on the CoSIDA Academic All-District squad earlier this year.

Llewellyn, a native of O’Fallon, Mo., led the MIAA in goals (18), points-per-game (2.05 ppg) and tied for the conference-lead with five game-winning scores in 2007. She made sure she came through against top-caliber competition, scoring five times against the four schools that qualified for the MIAA Postseason Tournament. Llewellyn also produced in big moments, as five of her goals came in matches that the Lions either won by a single goal or finished with a draw.

Despite just finishing her junior season, Llewellyn is already the Lions’ all-time leader in goals (38), points (86) and ranks fourth all-time with 10 career assists.

Llewellyn was a big factor in Southern winning 11 matches for the third straight season, tying the school record.

Llewellyn made it three straight years being named first-team All-MIAA, as voted by the league coaches and announced Nov. 5 by the league office. Seniors Ashley Turner and Erin Whelan were second-team choices, while seniors Kaney Tyler, Amy Davis, junior Kelsey Thomas and sophomore Stephanie Heines earned honorable-mention selections.

Llewellyn led the MIAA this season in goals (18), points-per-game (2.05) and tied for the conference lead with five game-winning scores. Her 18 goals this year were only one short of tying the MIAA single-season record. Llewellyn is already the Lions’ all-time leader in goals (38) and total points (86) and currently ranks fourth all-time with 10 career assists.

Turner is a second-team All-Conference selection for the third time in her career after being an honorable-mention performer last season. Turner played solid defense and scored two goals along with two assists during her senior campaign.

Whelan also wrapped up her Southern career in style by recording a pair of goals and assists. The second-team nod this year follows an All-MIAA honorable-mention selection last year for Whelan.

Tyler finishes her playing career with an All-MIAA honorable-mention recognition after being a second-team choice last year and a first-team performer and MIAA MVP in 2005. She finished the 2007 campaign tied for third in the MIAA with six shutouts and posted an 0.78 goals-against-average and recorded 64 saves. Tyler ends her career as the Southern career leader in shutouts (28), saves (335) and minutes (5,937:48).

This year marks the third consecutive honorable-mention selection for Davis after scoring one goal and dishing out one assist. Davis also provided a solid defensive effort when called upon as a defender.

Thomas earns all-conference honorable-mention honors for the second straight season after being a second-team choice in 2005. In addition to playing outstanding defense, Thomas netted her first-career goal on a penalty kick this year. Even though she has one year of eligibility remaining, Thomas has finished her playing career at Southern and will graduate this May.

Heines notches her first All-Conference recognition with an honorable-mention selection. Heines scored a pair of goals and tied for team-high honors with three assists.

Llewellyn, Turner and Thomas have been named to the 2007 CoSIDA Academic All-District team, as announced Nov. 1.

Llewellyn and Turner were each first-team selections, while Thomas earned a second-team nod. Llewellyn and Turner will now go on the national ballot for Academic All-American.

The Lions tied the school record for wins by notching 11 victories for the third straight season. MSSU finished 11-5-3 overall and 7-5-2 in the MIAA.