Cowgirls Reap Big 12 Awards

Oct. 31, 2011

IRVING, Texas - Fresh off an unbeaten regular season and a Big 12 Conference championship, Oklahoma State was rewarded today with a record-setting number of players earning All-Big 12 Conference honors, it was announced by the league.

Seven Cowgirls were named 2011 All-Big 12 performers, including five who were named to the first team. Highlighting the group is senior Melinda Mercado, who was named the Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year for the second consecutive year and earned All-Big 12 First Team honors for the third-straight season.

Joining Mercado on the first team are senior forward Krista Lopez, senior midfielder Elizabeth DeLozier, junior goalkeeper AD Franch and junior defender Carson Michalowski. Earning spots on the All-Big 12 Second Team were senior midfielder Kyndall Treadwell and junior Megan Marchesano, who was named to the team as a utility player.

The Cowgirls also had a player named to the Big 12 All-Newcomer Team as freshman defender Miriam Rhinehart collected that honor.

In addition, OSU head coach Colin Carmichael was named the 2011 Big 12 Coach of the Year, marking the fourth time in his seven seasons as head coach that he has brought home that hardware (2006, '08, '10 and '11).

OSU's seven All-Big 12 selections were the most in program history, surpassing the previous high of five set in 2010, and was the most of any league team in 2011. The five first-team honorees also set a new standard for the program, topping last year's total of four, and were the most in the league this season.

Mercado and Franch put themselves in exclusive company with their all-league honors. That duo joined Yolanda Odenyo as the only players in Cowgirl history to earn All-Big 12 honors three times (Odenyo was a four-time selection from 2005-09).

Additionally, Franch joined Odenyo as the only Cowgirls to earn All-Big 12 First Team status three times. Odenyo was a first-team selection in 2006, 2007 and 2008, while Franch has gained that honor in each of her first three seasons in Stillwater.

A native of Sapulpa, Okla., Mercado has started all 19 games at defender this season and logged a team-high 1,657 minutes of action for one of the nation's top defenses. OSU has recorded a Big 12-best 14 shutouts, which is tied for the school record, and has allowed just 13 goals, the fewest in the league. The Cowgirls sport a 0.26 goals against average, which leads the NCAA.

Franch, a Salina, Kan. native, continued her stint as the league's top goalie in 2011. Despite missing six games with injury, she is second in the league with eight shutouts (in 13 games) and leads the nation in goals against average (0.23) and save percentage (.945).

Of Franch's 52 saves this season, 36 came in Big 12 play, and she notched six shutouts in eight league games while allowing only two goals.

Lopez ends her career with a second-straight spot on the All-Big 12 First Team. The Carrollton, Texas native leads the Cowgirls with eight goals and 21 points and is second on the team with five assists. She is tied for the Big 12 lead with four game-winning goals.

The third senior to earn first-team honors is also making her first appearance on an all-conference team. DeLozier, who hails from Houston, has started all 19 games in the midfield for the Cowgirls and has recorded a career-high three goals.

Another key cog in OSU's defensive unit is Michalowski, who was named All-Big 12 First Team a year after garnering second-team honors. A native of Plano, Texas, Michalowski has started all 19 games at center back and been a key contributor to a defense that has tied the school record for shutouts and allowed just five goals. She has also contributed a pair of goals and an assist.

Treadwell is another two-time all-conference selection as she was a first teamer a year ago at forward. Earning status as a midfielder this year, the Cleveland, Okla. native has four goals in 2011, three of those game winners.

A forward from Tulsa, Okla., Marchesano is tied for the team lead with six assists and is tied for second with 16 points. Her .525 shots-on-goal percentage is among the best on the team.

Another Tulsa native, Rhinehart has come on strong late in the season, earning a starting spot at defender and helping the Cowgirls maintain arguably the nation's best defense.

Carmichael is in his seventh season as OSU's head coach. He guided the team to a 17-0-2 regular season record that included a 6-0-2 mark in Big 12 play to give the Cowgirls their fourth-straight conference championship. OSU became just the second team in Big 12 history to finish the regular season undefeated and the first team since 2002 to go through the league schedule without a loss. The Cowgirls also achieved their highest-ever national ranking as they have occupied the No. 2 spot in the rankings for seven-straight weeks.

The All-Big 12 teams and postseason awards are voted on by the conference's head coaches, who are not allowed to vote for players on their own team.