Six represent League on NSCAA Women's Soccer All-Great Lakes Region squad

Dec. 16, 2005

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INDIANAPOLIS -- The Horizon League boasts six of the top 33 players in the Great Lakes Region, according to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America which released its All-Region teams Friday (Dec. 16).

University of Detroit Mercy junior midfielder Mary Parker and University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee junior defender Ginny Graczyk earned top marks on the association's First-Team All-Great Lakes squad, with University of Wisconsin-Green Bay teammates Sarah Oligney and Stephanie Gross joining Wright State University freshman defender Jess Rooma and Butler University senior midfielder Meredith Buemi on the Third-Team unit.

Parker topped the Horizon League charts with 24 points this season, posting a League-high ten goals (including four match-winners) with four assists. Parker, the 2004 Horizon League Player of the Year and a Third-Team All-Region choice a year ago, added First-Team All-League honors to her résumé this fall by pacing the Titans to a 10-4-5 overall record which culminated in the final round of the League Championship tournament.

Graczyk was a First-Team All-League performer on the field, bolstering the Panther defense which posted a League-record 13 shutouts on the way to a 12-5-5 finish. UW-Milwaukee captured the League Championship by outlasting Detroit in penalty kicks, and advanced past Purdue University in the first round of the NCAA Championships before falling to cross-town rival Marquette University on a goal in the final minute of regulation.

Oligney earned Horizon League Player of the Year honors for the second time in her career this fall after posting six goals and a League-best ten assists for 22 points. The senior midfielder tied the school record with 29 helpers in her career. Gross was a First-Team All-League pick on the field, finishing second in the League with 23 points off nine goals and five assists in helping pace UW-Green Bay to a 9-9-1 overall mark which included a 5-2-1 League ledger. The Phoenix tandem are two of only six players receiving both All-Great Lakes Region honors and Scholar All-Central recognition from the coaches' association.

Rooma gained the League's Newcomer of the Year plaque in addition to her First-Team All-League honor, serving as a stalwart of the Raider defense which ranked second in the League with a 0.65 goals-against average in conference action. She started 18 of the team's 19 matches this season, collecting one assist in her debut campaign. Wright State compiled an 11-5-3 overall record with a third-place finish in the regular-season League standings.

Buemi capped her career with First-Team All-League honors, tying for the team lead with six goals including three match-winners. She finished among the school's all-time career leaders with 53 points in a Bulldog uniform, with 16 of those tallies coming in 2005 as Butler overcame a series of injuries to post an 8-10-2 ledger.

The University of Notre Dame placed four players on the First-Team All-Great Lakes squad, with senior forward Katie Thorlakson and junior midfielder joining freshman striker Kerri Hanks and senior defender Candace Chapman. Marquette senior goalkeeper Laura Boyer and senior midfielder Julie Thompson also drew First-Team praise, along with University of Illinois senior defender Christen Karniski, Ball State University senior defender Krista Mitts and University of Louisville junior forward Jamie Craft.

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National Soccer Coaches Association of America Women's College Soccer All-Great Lakes Region Teams

First-Team
Pos. -- Name-- School-- Yr.
GK -- Laura Boyer -- Marquette -- Sr. -- Overland Park, Kan.
D -- Candace Chapman -- Notre Dame -- Sr. -- Ajax, Ontario
D -- Ginny Graczyk -- UW-Milwaukee -- Jr. -- Libertyville, Ill.
D -- Christen Karniski -- Illinois -- Sr. -- Iowa City, Iowa
D -- Krista Mitts -- Ball State -- Sr. -- Fort Mitchell, Ky.
M -- Jen Buczkowski -- Notre Dame -- Jr. -- Elk Grove Village, Ill.
M -- Mary Parker -- Detroit -- Jr. -- Troy, Mich.
M -- Julie Thompson -- Marquette -- Sr. -- Palos Heights, Ill.
F -- Jamie Craft -- Louisville -- Jr. -- Owings, Md.
F -- Kerri Hanks -- Notre Dame -- Fr. -- Allen, Texas
F -- Katie Thorlakson -- Notre Dame -- Sr. -- Langley, British Columbia

Second-Team
GK -- Alison Becker -- Ball State -- Jr. -- Bettendorf, Iowa
D -- Lindsay Dunmead -- Miami (Ohio) -- Sr. -- Plymouth, Mich.
D -- Melissa Miller -- Ohio State -- Jr. -- Cincinnati, Ohio
D -- Christy Shaner -- Notre Dame -- Jr. -- Ambler, Pa.
M -- Marisa Brown -- Wisconsin -- Sr. -- Evanston, Ill.
M -- Samantha Meister -- Bowling Green -- Sr. -- Cincinnati, Ohio
M -- Julianne Sitch -- DePaul -- Sr. -- Oswego, Ill.
F -- Kayla Lambert -- Evansville -- Fr. -- Las Vegas, Nev.
F -- Melissa Dobbyn -- Michigan -- So. -- Livonia, Mich.
F -- Lauren Sessleman -- Purdue -- Sr. -- Green Bay, Wis.
F -- Amy Vermeulen -- Wisconsin -- Sr. -- Saskatoon, Saskatchewan

Third-Team
GK - Anne Decker -- Central Michigan -- Jr. -- Troy, Mich.
D -- Chelsea McNally -- Western Michigan -- Sr. -- Tucson, Ariz.
D -- Jess Rooma -- Wright State -- Fr. -- Westfield Center, Ohio
D -- Julie Trundle -- Bowling Green -- Sr. -- Medina, Ohio
M -- Lara Dickenmann -- Ohio State -- So. -- Kriens, Switzerland
M -- Sarah Oligney -- UW-Green Bay -- Sr. -- Wisconsin Rapids, Wis.
M -- Kristen Zmijewski -- Indiana -- Sr. -- Aurora, Ill.
F -- Meredith Buemi -- Butler -- Sr. -- Westerville, Ohio
F -- Kimberly Dimitroff -- Kent State -- So. -- Oakville, Ontario
F -- Emma Harris -- Michigan State -- Sr. -- Chesterfield, Mo.
F -- Stephanie Gross -- UW-Green Bay -- Jr. -- Fond du Lac, Wis.