WALLA WALLA, Wash. -- Katey Schmitz, a freshman forward-midfielder on the Whitman College women's soccer team, and Missionary head coach Scott Shields have earned top post-season honors from the Northwest Conference.
Schmitz (Medina, Wash. / Bellevue HS) , who scored seven goals this season, was one of only two first-year players named to the All-NWC First Team. Only five players in the conference scored more goals than Schmitz this season.
Meanwhile, Shields shared Coach of the Years honors with Ian Clerihew of Linfield College. After Whitman struggled through a one-victory season last fall, Shields led this year's team to a 9-8-1 record and a fourth-place conference finish.
Two other Missionaries, sophomore defender Meghan Bowen and junior midfielder Erin Bray, earned Honorable Mention recognition on this year's all-conference team.
It was the second consecutive Honorable Mention designation for Bowen (Bellevue, Wash. / Newport HS), who also served as a Whitman team captain this fall.
Bray (Canon, Colo. / Canon City HS) , who returned to soccer after a one-year absence, finished with seven assists and one goal. Only two conference players had more assists than Bray this season.
The Missionaries lose just two players in the off-season. Senior Liz Davis (Pacific Palisades, Calif. / Palisades Charter HS) graduates, and junior Megan Mackenzie (Spokane, Wash. / Ferris HS) will forego her senior season to study biomedical engineering at New York's Columbia University.
Mackenzie, a team captain, had three goals and two assists this season, while Davis contributed two goals and one assist.
With 13 players booting at least one goal, Whitman outscored its opponents 34-32 this season.
Other key players in Whitman's offensive attack were sophomore Kaitlin Varady (Suisun City, Calif. / Justin-Siena HS), who had five goals and one assist, and junior Julia Makowski (Boulder, Colo. / Boulder HS), who added four goals and two assists.
Freshman Nanette Langston (Bend, Ore. / Bend HS) dented the scoring column with three goals and two assists. Sophomore Sara Weihmann (West Linn, Ore. / West Linn HS) chipped in two goals and three assists.
Rena Parcells (Walla Walla, Wash. / Walla Walla HS), Whitman's sophomore goalkeeper, posted four shutouts during the season and averaged 7.0 saves per game, the fifth-best mark in the conference. Parcells led the NWC in saves last year at 7.89 saves per game.
The Coach of the Year honor for Shields was the second in his eight seasons at the helm of the women's program. He was the sole winner of the award in 1996 when Whitman rolled to a 12-6-1 record and third-place finish in the conference.
A 1991 Whitman graduate, Shields was an NAIA All-American on the Missionary men's team.
Dave Holden, Whitman Sports Information, 509 527-5902
Email: holden@whitman.edu