2001 WIAC Women's Soccer Headlines

2001 WIAC Women's Soccer Headlines

Stevens Point's Bruce Named Women's Soccer
Academic All-American

RELEASED: Thursday, February 7, 2002

University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point sophomore Jenny Bruce has been named to the Verizon Academic All-American women’s soccer second team.

Bruce, who carries a 3.93 grade point average in sociology, led the Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference and ranked 11th in NCAA Division III with 16 assists this past season for the Pointers who finished 18-2 and won their fifth straight WIAC crown. Bruce finished the season with 13 goals and 16 assists for 42 points. Her single-season assist total is the fourth-highest in WIAC history.

Bruce was eligible for All-American honors after being named to the All-District team in early January. The All-American teams are voted on by sports information directors from throughout the country.

She is the third Pointer in school history to earn Academic All-American honors after Marie Muhvic and Margaret Domka were named to the first and second teams, respectively, last season.

Bruce was the lone WIAC athlete named to any of the three teams awarded.

Bruce, a Menasha, Wis. native, is a junior academically after redshirting one season at UW-Madison. She was named All-WIAC and was named to the All-Central Region squad this season as well.

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Two Earn Women's Soccer Academic All-District Honors

RELEASED: Friday, January 11, 2002

Madison, Wis.--University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point's Jenny Bruce and UW-Oshkosh's Sandie Brink have been named to the 2002 Verizon/CoSIDA Academic All-District Women's Soccer Team.

Bruce, a sophomore forward from Menasha, Wis., carries a 3.93 grade point average in sociology. She led the WIAC and ranked 11th in the NCAA Division III with 16 assists this past season as the Pointers
finished 18-2 and won their fifth straight WIAC crown. Bruce finished the season with 13 goals and 16 assists for 42 points. Her single-season assists total is the fourth-highest in WIAC history.

She is the third women's soccer player in school history to earn the Academic All-District honor after Marie Muhvic was a first team Academic All-American and Margaret Domka earned second team All-American honors last season.

Bruce is a junior academically after redshirting one season at UW-Madison. In just two years, she is already climbing the school's scoring charts with 27 goals and 31 assists. Her career assists total ranks third in school history.

Bruce is now eligible for Academic All-American honors.

Brink, a sophomore defender from Fond du Lac, Wis., is majoring in nursing with a 3.948 grade point average. She spearheaded a defense that allowed just 12 goals in the Titans' 17 matches played this past season. She also was instrumental in helping Oshkosh shutout nine opponents, the second-highest total in the WIAC, and limiting six others to just one goal.

Brink played in 15 matches this season and tallied a pair of goals.

The Titans recorded the fewest losses in school history this past season while compiling a 13-3-1 record.

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Jacob, Gilbert Named Women’s Soccer All-Americans

RELEASED: Wednesday, December 12, 2001

Madison, Wis.--University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point’s Mickey Jacob and UW-Oshkosh’s Carrie Gilbert have been named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-America Team. Jacob earned first team honors, while Gilbert was a second team selection.

Jacob, a senior defensive midfielder from Neenah, Wis., was the only Central Region player selected to the first team. She is the fourth Stevens Point women’s soccer player to earn the first team honor and the third selection in four years. Jacob joins Margaret Domka, who was honored last year, and Kim Cwik, who was a first team performer in 1998. Janie Probst was also a first team selection in 1994.

Jacob was a captain for the Pointers’ squad that outscored its opponents 82-10 and finished 18-2 overall. Stevens Point also won its fifth consecutive Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (WIAC) title and advanced to the NCAA Division III playoffs for the eighth time in nine seasons.

Jacob, the 2001 WIAC Player of the Year, was primarily a defensive specialist, but managed six goals and five assists on offense. Defensively, Jacob and the Pointers surrendered just five shot attempts per match and allowed only 18 corner kicks in 20 matches, while posting 13 shutouts.

Jacob is the seventh All-American in Stevens Point women’s soccer history as the Pointers have also had two second team and one third team selection.

Gilbert, a junior defender from Neenah, Wis., spearheaded a defense that allowed just 12 goals in the Titans’ 17 matches played this past season. She also was instrumental in helping Oshkosh shutout nine opponents, the second-highest total in the WIAC, and limiting six others to just one goal.

Gilbert had two goals for the Titans this past year, both on penalty kicks. In 2000, Gilbert had three goals, including two on penalty kicks.

Gilbert is the first women’s soccer player in Oshkosh’s nine-year history to garner All-America status. The Titans had the fewest losses in school history this past season while compiling a 13-3-1 record.

Jacob and Gilbert are two of ten players in WIAC history to earn All-American status.

The NSCAA also recently announced the All-Central Region Team and additional WIAC athletes receiving honors included first team selections Tina Welle of Eau Claire and Jennifer Bruce of Stevens Point.

Stevens Point’s Molly Cady, Kelly Fink and Tara Schmitt, Eau Claire’s Sarah Pierringer and Oshkosh’s Lindsay Rau were named to the second team, while Stevens Point’s Brianna Hyslop and Whitewater’s Kristin Singer earned third team honors.

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Eau Claire’s Pierringer Named Women’s Soccer Scholar-Athlete

RELEASED: Wednesday, October 31, 2001

Madison, Wis.--University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire’s Sarah Pierringer has been named the 2001 Judy Kruckman Women’s Soccer Scholar-Athlete, it was announced recently by WIAC Commissioner Gary Karner.

Pierringer, a senior from Port Washington, Wis., is majoring in nursing and carries a 3.51 grade point average. She is a three-time member of the WIAC Scholastic Honor Roll and has been named to UW-Eau Claire’s School of Nursing Dean’s List the past five semesters.

Pierringer helped the Blugolds to a third-place finish in the conference standings this season and a spot in the WIAC Tournament Finals. She spearheaded a Blugold defense that shutout eight opponents and only four times in 19 games allowed more than one goal in an outing. Pierringer was named to the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-Central Region Third Team last season and also earned All-WIAC accolades. She has served as team captain the past two seasons and was also named the Blugolds’ Defensive Player of the Year in 2000.

Pierringer also works at the University Service Center in Eau Claire and has completed nursing clinicals during the season.

Also nominated for the scholar-athlete award were: Eau Claire’s Chandra Butterfield and Tina Welle, La Crosse’s Dina Castillo and River Falls’ Megan Diethelm.

The WIAC Scholar-Athlete Award is sponsored by Culver’s. In order to be nominated for the scholar-athlete award, a student-athlete must have a minimum 3.25 grade point average, be in their last year of competition, or on schedule to graduate this academic year, and have competed for a minimum of two years.

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Miech Wins 200th Career Match

RELEASED: Sunday, September 1, 2002

St. Peter, Minn. - Sheila Miech became the fifth coach in NCAA Division III women’s soccer
history to reach 200 career victories and UW-Stevens Point improved to 2-0 for the season with
a 2-1 victory Sunday at Gustavus Adolphus College.

Miech, who is now 200-71-16 in her 15th season with the Pointers is just the second female
coach to reach the milestone, joining Aliceann Wilber of William Smith (N.Y.), who has 207 wins.
The only other Division III coaches to reach the mark are Dan Blank of St. Mary’s (Minn.), Joe
Bochicchio of Scranton (Pa.) and Joe Russo of College of New Jersey.

“It’s a great honor to reach 200 wins, but that really wasn’t the most important statistic for me today,” Miech said. “This was an important game for our team and to start the season with two wins against Minnesota teams is a great accomplishment.

Miech is the only coach in UW-Stevens Point history, so the win also marked the 200th win in the history of the school’s program, which has won eight Wisconsin Intercollegiate Athletic Conference titles and made seven NCAA tournament appearances.

“Two hundred wins is really hard to imagine,” Miech said. “I honestly think I can remember them all.”

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