Penn State Leads Big Ten Women’s Soccer Preseason Poll
More than two-thirds of 42 students on Preseason Honors List have earned Academic All-Big Ten recognition, including 11 Big Ten Distinguished Scholars
ROSEMONT, Ill. – Penn State is the top choice to win the 2018 Big Ten Conference women’s soccer championship, according to the Big Ten preseason coaches’ poll announced Monday.
The Nittany Lions, who have won 18 Big Ten titles and claimed their seventh Big Ten Tournament championship last year, were selected first in the 2018 Big Ten preseason poll by the conference’s 14 head coaches. Ohio State, which earned its second Big Ten crown last season, finished second in this year’s preseason poll, while Rutgers, which has reached the Big Ten Tournament title game twice in the past three seasons, was chosen third.
Rounding out the top five in the team balloting were Northwestern and Wisconsin. Both the Wildcats and Badgers reached the second round of last year’s NCAA Tournament, with Northwestern also advancing to the 2017 Big Ten Tournament title game, the Wildcats’ second appearance in the final and first in 20 years.
Also on Monday, the conference unveiled the 2018 Big Ten Preseason Honors List, as selected by the conference coaches. More than half (31) of the 42 students earning preseason honors have received Academic All-Big Ten recognition during their careers, highlighted by 11 Big Ten Distinguished Scholars, seven Google Cloud Academic All-District honorees and one Google Cloud Academic All-American (Penn State’s Emily Ogle).
In addition, nearly half (20) of the students on the 2018 Big Ten Preseason Honors List are returning all-conference selections, including 11 United Soccer Coaches all-region honorees and four students (Ogle, Northwestern’s Marisa Viggiano, and Wisconsin’s Victoria Pickett and Dani Rhodes) who were named to the 2018 Missouri Athletic Club Hermann Trophy Watch List announced last week by United Soccer Coaches.
The 2018 Big Ten women’s soccer season kicks off Thursday with six conference schools in action, while the remaining Big Ten programs will begin play this weekend.
Here’s a look at the complete 2018 Big Ten Women’s Soccer Preseason Poll and Preseason Honors List:
2018 BIG TEN WOMEN’S SOCCER PRESEASON POLL
1. Penn State
2. Ohio State
3. Rutgers
4. Northwestern
5. Wisconsin
6. Minnesota
7. Michigan
8. Nebraska
9. Purdue
10. Iowa
11. Indiana
12. Illinois
13. Maryland
14. Michigan State
2018 BIG TEN WOMEN’S SOCCER PRESEASON HONORS LIST
Alicia Barker, Jr., D, Illinois
Morgan Maroney, Sr., D, Illinois
Katie Murray, Sr., M, Illinois
Mykayla Brown, Sr., F, Indiana
Chandra Davidson, Jr., M, Indiana
Maya Piper, Sr., F, Indiana
Devin Burns, Jr., F, Iowa
Kaleigh Haus, Jr., F, Iowa
Natalie Winters, Jr., M, Iowa
Rachel Egyed, Sr., GK, Maryland
Jlon Flippens, Jr., D, Maryland
Jarena Harmon, Sr., F, Maryland
Hillary Beall, So., GK, Michigan
Reilly Martin, Sr., F, Michigan
Sarah Stratigakis, So., M, Michigan
Michaela Kovacs, Jr., D, Michigan State
Reilley Ott, Jr., GK, Michigan State
Lexy Warner, Sr., M, Michigan State
April Bockin, Sr., F, Minnesota
Molly Fiedler, Sr., M, Minnesota
Emily Heslin, Sr., M, Minnesota
Meg Brandt, Jr., M, Nebraska
Aubrei Corder, Jr., GK, Nebraska
Sinclaire Miramontez, Jr., D, Nebraska
Hannah Davison, Sr., D, Northwestern
Kayla Sharples, Sr., D, Northwestern
Marisa Viggiano, Sr., M, Northwestern
Arden Holden, Sr., M, Ohio State
Sarah Roberts, Sr., M, Ohio State
Izzy Rodriguez, So., D, Ohio State
Maddie Nolf, Sr., D, Penn State
Emily Ogle, Sr., M, Penn State
Kaleigh Riehl, Jr., D, Penn State
Sarah Clark, So., M, Purdue
Katie Luce, So., GK, Purdue
Hannah Mussallem, Sr., D, Purdue
Amirah Ali, So., F, Rutgers
Chantelle Swaby, Jr., D, Rutgers
Kenie Wright, Sr., D, Rutgers
Cameron Murtha, So., M, Wisconsin
Victoria Pickett, Sr., M, Wisconsin
Dani Rhodes, Jr., F, Wisconsin
