Oklahoma State's 10th-ranked soccer team was honored by the Big 12 today when junior midfielder Yolanda Odenyo was named Big 12 Player of the Year and co-head coaches Karen Hancock and Colin Carmichael were honored as Coach of the Year.
Odenyo was the only Cowgirl listed on the first and second team, and she was named co-player of the year with Nebraska's Brittany Timko. The Uppsala, Sweden native scored four goals and recorded seven assists from her defensive midfield position.
She was named Big 12 Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 26 and was named to the National Team of the Week by both Soccer Buzz and Soccer America. That week, she scored a pair of goals as OSU defeated Kansas in double overtime and upset then 11th-ranked Colorado.
“Yolanda is a special player and she has really allowed us to raise our team standards this year to the level we have achieved. She has come up big in a couple of games where we really needed goals. She provides excellent leadership on and off the field, and is a winner in every sense and knows what it takes to win.”
Hancock and Carmichael have led OSU to the best record in school history. The tandem has been together since the Cowgirl soccer program started in, and Carmichael was promoted to co-head coach prior to the start of last season. In that time, the Cowgirls have compiled a 25-8-5 record and led Oklahoma State to a second-place finish in the Big 12.
“The Coach of the Year Award is an honor,” Hancock said. “I want to make it very clear that this award is shared wholeheartedly with Colin Carmichael. He stayed on here at Oklahoma State to be a co-head coach, and he is in every way been a part of the success we have had this year and is truly deserving of this award.”
Freshmen Siera Strawser and Bridget Miller were also named to the Big 12 All-Newcomer team. Strawser, a native of Bixby, Okla., leads the team in points with 16 on five goals and six assists. Miller hails from Wylie, Texas and has made 17 starts on OSU's back line. She has been a big reason why the Cowgirls have recorded 10 shutouts on the season.
Oklahoma State opens the Big 12 Championship on Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. in San Antonio, Texas against Bedlam rival Oklahoma.
Co-Players of the Year: Brittany Timko, Nebraska and Yolanda Odenyo, Oklahoma State
Rookie of the Year: Nikki Marshall, Colorado
Coach of the Year: Karen Hancock and Colin Carmichael, Oklahoma State
ALL-BIG 12 FIRST TEAM
GK -- Ashley Holder, Baylor, Jr, Roseville, Calif.
D -- Kasey Moore, Texas, So, Mission Viejo, Calif.
D -- Stephanie Logterman, Texas, So, Austin, Texas
D -- Emily Peterson, Texas A&M, So, Tulsa, Okla.
MF -- Yolanda Odenyo, Oklahoma State, Jr, Uppsala, Sweden
MF -- Carrie Schmit, Texas, Sr, La Mesa, Calif.
MF -- Amy Berend, Texas A&M, Jr, Highland Village, Texas
F -- Nikki Marshall, Colorado, Fr, Mead, Colo.
F -- Brittany Timko, Nebraska, Sr, Coquitlam, British Columbia, Canada
F -- Kelsey Carpenter, Texas, Texas, Jr, Allen, Texas
F -- Suzzette Devloo, Texas A&M, Sr, Houston, Texas
ALL-BIG 12 SECOND TEAM**
GK -- Dianna Pfenninger, Texas, So, Sugar Land, Texas
GK -- Kristin Arnold, Texas A&M, Fr, Centennial, Colo.
D -- Laura Munnelly, Colorado, Sr, Arvada, Colo.
D -- Jenny Murtaugh, Kansas, So, Littleton, Colo.
D -- Tanya Dennis, Nebraska, Jr, Brampton, Ontario, Canada
MF -- Missy Geha, Kansas, So, Overland Park, Kan.
MF -- Jessica Bush, Kansas, So, Blue Springs, Kan.
MF -- Amy Burlingham, Texas, Sr, Costa Mesa, Calif.
MF -- Paige Carmichael, Texas A&M, Jr, Glendale, Ariz.
MF -- Allison Martino, Texas A&M, Jr, Draper, Utah
F -- Holly Gault, Kansas, Sr, Spring Hill, Kan.
F -- Aysha Jamani, Nebraska, So, Calgery, Alberta, Canada
F -- Ashlee Pistorius, Texas A&M, Texas A&M, Jr, Bloomington, Ill.
**Ties in Voting
BIG 12 ALL-Newcomer Team
GK -- Kristin Arnold, Texas A&M, Fr, Centennial, Colo.
D -- Estelle Johnson, Kansas, Fr, Fort Collins, Colo.
D -- Carly Peetz, Nebraska, Fr, Lincoln, Neb.
D -- Bridget Miller, Oklahoma State, Fr, Wylie, Texas
D -- Nicole Ketchum, Texas A&M, Fr, Cypress, Texas
MF -- Jess Quador, Colorado, Fr, Littleton, Colo.
MF -- Siera Strawser, Oklahoma State, Fr, Bixby, Okla.
MF -- Amber Gnatzig, Texas A&M, Fr, Humble, Texas
F -- Nikki Marshall, Colorado, Fr, Mead, Colo.
F -- Monica Dolinsky, Kansas Fr, Carmel, Ind.
F -- Brittney Harrison, Texas Tech, Fr, Plano, Texas
