Oklahoma State University Athletics
Cowgirls Rack Up Big 12 Accolades
November 01, 2010 | Cowgirl Soccer
Nov. 1, 2010
IRVING, Texas – A record-setting number of Oklahoma State Cowgirls earned All-Big 12 Conference honors, and the program also had the league's top defender and one of its top coaches in 2010.
Five Cowgirls were named 2010 All-Big 12, including four who were named to the first team. Highlighting the group is junior Melinda Mercado, who was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and earned All-Big 12 First Team honors for the second-straight season.
Joining Mercado on the first team are junior forwards Krista Lopez and Kyndall Treadwell and sophomore goalkeeper AD Franch. Earning second team plaudits was sophomore defender Carson Michalowski.
In addition, OSU head coach Colin Carmichael was named the 2010 Big 12 Co-Coach of the Year, sharing the honor with Oklahoma's Nicole Nelson. Carmichael was also the league's coach of the year in 2008.
OSU's five All-Big 12 selections were the most in program history, surpassing the previous high of four set in 2009, and was the most of any league team in 2010. The four first-team honorees also set a new standard for the program, topping last year's total of three, and tied Texas A&M for the most in the league this season.
A native of Sapulpa, Okla., Mercado has started all 19 games at defender this season and logged a team-high 1,705 minutes of action for one of the nation's top defenses. OSU has recorded nine shutouts and allowed just 13 goals, the fewest in the Big 12, and the Cowgirls sport a 0.67 goals against average, also a league best.
Lopez has enjoyed a breakout season for the Cowgirls in '10. The Carrollton, Texas native's 12 goals lead OSU and rank second in the conference, and six of her goals have been game winners, which leads the league. She also has a pair of assists, and her 26 points ranks fourth in the Big 12.
In leading OSU's scoring attack, Lopez has recorded the fifth-most goals in a single-season in OSU history. She also became just the 10th player in school history to record a hat trick with three goals against Mississippi State in September.
Treadwell, who hails from Cleveland, Okla., is another key part of OSU's attack. She is tied for the team lead with four assists, all of which have come in Big 12 play, and both of her goals this season have been game winners.
Franch, a Salina, Kan. native, joins Mercado as a repeat All-Big 12 First Team performer. The Cowgirl goalie is tied for the league lead with eight shutouts, and her 0.59 goals against average and .861 save percentage are the best in the conference.
Over half of Franch's 68 saves this season came in Big 12 play, and she notched four shutouts against league competition.
Another key cog in OSU's defensive unit is Michalowski, who was named All-Big 12 Second Team. A native of Plano, Texas, Michalowski has played in 18 games and been a key contributor to a defense that has recorded nine shutouts and a 0.67 goals against average while allowing only 13 goals.
Carmichael is in his sixth season as OSU's head coach. He guided the team to a 15-3-1 regular season record that included an 8-2-0 mark and a second-place finish in the Big 12 standings. The Cowgirls also tied a school record with a 13-game unbeaten streak and achieved their highest-ever national ranking when they spent back-to-back weeks at No. 5.
The All-Big 12 teams and postseason awards are voted on by the conference's head coaches, who are not allowed to vote for their own team.
