Morrison highlights Kansas’ Big 12 postseason awards
IRVING, Texas – Kansas soccer senior Kayla Morrison was named Co-Big 12 Defensive Player of the Year and was one of three Jayhawks to be named to the All-Big 12 teams when the league office announced its postseason awards Monday. In addition to Morrison’s Player of the Year honor, she was named to the All-Big 12 Second Team and was joined there by junior forward Grace Hagan. Freshman midfielder Ceri Holland was tabbed to the league’s All-Freshman Team, marking the sixth-straight year a Jayhawk frosh has made the All-Freshman list.
Morrison, who hails from Corona, California, becomes the first Jayhawk in program history to be named the league’s defensive player of the year. She also claimed all-league honors for the third time with her selection to the second team. The senior, who was named to the All-Freshman squad three seasons ago as well as the second team last season, has been the centerpiece for a stout Kansas defense over the last four years. Morrison has been in the Jayhawks’ starting lineup in 82-straight matches, one game shy of the program record, and has helped the team to 24 shutouts in that span.
Hagan, a native of Wichita, Kansas, found herself on a Big 12 postseason team for the second-straight year. The forward played in all of KU’s 19 matches this season, scoring a team-leading seven goals, which is tied for first in the Big 12. She also dished out a team-leading five assists.
Rounding out the Kansas selections was Holland, who became the ninth KU freshman in the last seven seasons to claim a spot on the Big 12 All-Freshman Team. From West Yorkshire, England, Holland posted 32 shots, along with a goal and an assist, as she anchored the Kansas midfield in her first season in Lawrence.
The announcement means Kansas has had at least one Jayhawk on the All-Big 12 teams each year since the current format began in 2000. The three Jayhawks selected also marked the sixth-straight season three or more KU representatives were selected to the all-conference squads. Selections for the All-Big 12 teams were voted on by the league’s coaches, who were not allowed to vote for their own players.
Kansas concluded its regular season last weekend going 8-9-2 overall to earn the No. 6 seed at the Big 12 Soccer Championship to be held in Kansas City, Missouri this week. The Jayhawks are scheduled to take on No. 3-seeded TCU on Wednesday, Nov. 1 at 8 p.m., at the Swope Soccer Village.
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