| Ali Krieger. |
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa.; December 5, 2006 ?CTwo Penn State women??s soccer standouts have been named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America??s 2006 All-America squad. Senior captain Ali Krieger (Dumfries, Va.) was selected as a first team All-American for the second consecutive year, while sophomore teammate Sheree Gray (Toms River, N.J.) received her first selection, a third team honor.
Gray??s selection makes her the ninth All-American in Penn State women??s soccer history, while she and Krieger??s honor are the 19th and 20th All-America honors in the program??s 13-year history. Penn State is one of eight squads nationally with two or more All-Americans this year.
??Congratulations to Ali and Sheree on being selected as All-Americans this year,?? said Penn State head coach Paula Wilkins. ??This year was a tough one on us, especially physically, and to have two All-Americans is a testament to the fighting spirit of this entire team. If you were to talk to the two of them, I??m sure their teammates would be the first people they would thank, because without a strong group of players around you it would be impossible to achieve what this team was able to do. Our staff is very proud of Ali, Sheree and the whole team for what they accomplished this year.??
After being named a first team All-American last year as a midfielder, Krieger??s 2006 honor comes as a defender. Converted to the back line due to numerous early injuries for the Nittany Lions, Krieger??s versatility and work ethic were showcased in her conversion to center back during Penn State??s run to its ninth-straight Big Ten title. The conference??s co-defensive player of the year, Krieger returned to the field this fall after a season-ending injury before the 2005 NCAA Tournament. A semifinalist for the M.A.C. Hermann Trophy, she was one of 15 players nationally in contention for the player of the year honor in the final weeks of the season. Krieger scored two goals including one gamewinner and also added five assists this season, giving her 12 goals and 19 assists for her career. After an outstanding performance in the conference tournament, she earned Big Ten Tournament Defensive MVP honors for helping the Lions to their fourth conference tournament title overall.
| Sheree Gray. |
Krieger is the Lions?? sixth player to earn All-America honors in two or more seasons. Previously, Joanna Lohman (2001, ??02, ??03), Erin McLeod (2004, ??05), Emily Oleksiuk (1999, 2000, ??01), Tiffany Weimer (2003, ??04, ??05) and Christie Welsh (1999, 2000, ??01, and ??02) had also received honors more than once. Krieger joins Natalie Jacobs (2004) as the only two Lion defenders to earn All-America status in the program??s 13-year history.
A speedy midfield presence for the Nittany Lions, Gray??s All-America honor is the first of her career. The New Jersey native earned first team All-Mid-Atlantic Region honors after being awarded third team all-region honors in 2005. Gray was a key cog in the Lion??s offense, and scored the gamewinner in the season-opening upset of then-No. 2 UCLA. She joined Krieger and two other Lions on the first team All-Big Ten list. Gray is the Nittany Lions?? fifth sophomore to earn All-America accolades, joining Lohman (2001), Oleksiuk (1999), Weimer (2003) and Welsh (2000).
Penn State used an 8-1-1 conference record to win its ninth-consecutive Big Ten championship and also won its fourth Big Ten Tournament title. The Nittany Lions were selected to the NCAA Tournament for the 12th-straight time and earned a spot in the quarterfinals for the eighth time in nine years. The Lions finished their 13th season with an 18-5-3 mark.
--LIONS--