University of Tennessee Athletics
TRIO OF LADY VOLS RECEIVE REGIONAL ACCOLADES FROM SOCCER BUZZ
January 08, 2002 | Soccer
Jan. 8, 2002
NEW YORK, N.Y.
After its most successful season in school history, the Lady Vol soccer team added to its collection of post-season hardware with the release of Soccer Buzz Magazine's Central Region Awards on Monday night. UT's duo of freshman midfielder Sue Flamini and junior forward Kim Patrick became the first players in the program's six-year existence to earn first-team honors, while freshman midfielder Keeley Dowling was chosen to the second team. In addition, Dowling and Flamini were selected to the all-freshman squad. Sixty-three schools comprising the Central Region were eligible for Buzz awards, presented since 1996. Awards were decided by a vote open to all Division I Head Coaches and Soccer Buzz staff.
Nebraska's Christine Latham was named Central Region Player of the Year after scoring 18 goals and dishing out 10 assists for the Huskers. The junior forward repeated a similar honor from Buzz in 2000 when she earned regional Offensive Player of the Year. Her award marks the fourth year in the past six that a Nebraska athlete has claimed top player honors for the Central Region.
For the second straight year, a Texas rookie took home the Central Region Freshman of the Year. Forward Kelly Wilson tallied 38 points on 13 goals and 12 assists to claim top honors following the Longhorns' 2000 winner, Katie McBain. Wilson spearheaded the Longhorns to a Top 25 national ranking, a first-ever Big 12 regular season title and the school's first NCAA soccer bid.
Directing his Jayhawks to a first-ever NCAA Tournament bid, Mark Francis of Kansas earned 2001 Central Region Coach of the Year. Kansas improved to 13-7 in 2001 after finishing 7-11-2 in 2000. Francis' team went 7-3 in the Big 12 and finished with a winning overall record for the first time in school history.
A native of Cranford, N.J., Flamini was the first Lady Vol to be chosen first-team All-SEC in her debut season. In conference play, she totaled seven points on two goals and three assists. The midfielder dished out a couple of helpers during her squad's 4-0 blanking of Alabama on Oct. 7 and was credited with an assist on Patrick's Golden Goal that snapped Florida's 50-match league winning streak on Oct. 19. Over the course of the year, the 5'3" frosh accumulated 22 points on eight goals and six assists, including a pair of scores in the SEC Tournament contest against Kentucky. After leading UT to the program's first-ever tournament crown at the JMU/Comfort Inn Invitational, Flamini was named as the SEC Player of the Week on Sept. 10.
Patrick ranked among the SEC leaders in scoring throughout the campaign, finishing second spot in both points (20) and goals (eight) and third in assists (four). With 31 points on 12 goals and seven assists, the Pleasanton, Calif., native now holds the top spot in points and goals in a single season by a Lady Vol junior. As a result of her dramatic header 6:16 into overtime that enabled UT to topple Florida, the forward was named as the league's Player of the Week, the Lady Vol Athlete of the Week and she was chosen to Soccer America's and Soccer Buzz Magazine's Teams of the Week. Patrick was selected as the edsouth Athlete of the Month for October after extending her string of matches with a point to 11 in a row entering the SEC Tournament.
Dowling recorded 23 points on nine goals and five assists en route to first-team NSCAA All-Region and second-team All-SEC honors in the midfield. A native of Carmel, Ind., who serves as the captain of the U.S. Under-19 National Team, Dowling rated fourth in goals and fifth in points in Southeastern Conference action. The highlight of her inaugural season was a three-goal effort versus Alabama. Besides the hat trick against the Crimson Tide, Dowling also found the back of the net against #13 Brigham Young, James Madison, #16 Wake Forest, Vanderbilt, South Carolina and Arkansas.
The region's best players were named to one of three All-Regional teams. Nebraska led all teams with three selections while Denver, Tennessee, Texas and Texas A&M each had two players named to the first team. Auburn, Denver and Tennessee had players selected to the regional first team for the first-time in their programs' histories.
2001 SOCCER BUZZ ALL-CENTRAL REGION AWARDS
Player of the Year: Christine Latham, Nebraska
Freshman of the Year: Kelly Wilson, Texas
Coach of the Year: Mark Francis, Kansas
Coach of the Year, Runner-Up: Jeff Hooker, Denver
| FIRST TEAM | ||
| Megan Rivera | GK | Auburn |
| Breanna Boyd | D | Nebraska |
| Laura Kram | D | Texas |
| Jamie Norwood | D | Denver |
| Dyana Russell | D | Missouri |
| Meghan Anderson | MF | Nebraska |
| Katie Antongiovanni | MF | Denver |
| Sue Flamini | MF | Tennessee |
| Kristen Strutz | MF | Texas A&M |
| Christine Latham | F | Nebraska |
| Kim Patrick | F | Tennessee |
| Nicky Thrasher | F | Texas A&M |
| Kelly Wilson | F | Texas |
| SECOND TEAM | ||
| Erica Izard | GK | Denver |
| Pardis Brown | D | Kansas |
| Kristin Chapman | D | Mississippi |
| Adrienne Dillard | D | Texas A&M |
| Briana McCarty | D | UAB |
| Beth Boyer | MF | Air Force |
| Nicole Breger | MF | Texas |
| Keeley Dowling | MF | Tennessee |
| Jenny Kehl | MF | Saint Louis |
| Tara Comfort | F | SMU |
| Linsey Johnson | F | Texas A&M |
| Jessica Reyes | F | Colorado College |
| Amy Van Zandt | F | Mississippi State |
| THIRD TEAM | ||
| Beth Guccione | GK | SE Missouri State |
| Amanda Burke | D | Texas A&M |
| Christina Collins | D | SMU |
| Jenny Hamilton | D | SE Missouri State |
| Jessica Hopkins | D | Texas |
| Kellie Evans | MF | Auburn |
| Katie McBain | MF | Texas |
| Denise Peters | MF | UAB |
| Hilla Rantala | MF | Kansas |
| Adrienne Davis | F | Missouri |
| Kim Harvey | F | SMU |
| Marilyn Marin | F | North Texas |
| Jessi Moore | F | Mississippi State |
| ALL-FRESHMAN | ||
| Megan Rivera | GK | Auburn |
| Amanda Burke | D | Texas A&M |
| Laura Kram | D | Texas |
| Briana McCarty | D | UAB |
| Nicole Breger | MF | Texas |
| Keeley Dowling | MF | Tennessee |
| Sue Flamini | MF | Tennessee |
| Jill Heinemann | MF | SMU |
| Adrienne Davis | F | Missouri |
| Linsey Johnson | F | Texas A&M |
| Kelly McDonald | F | Texas |
| Jessi Moore | F | Mississippi State |
| Amy Van Zandt | F | Mississippi State |
