Four Skyhawks earn NSCAA All-Central Region

December 12, 2011

KANSAS CITY, Kan. — Four Fort Lewis College women’s soccer players National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA) All-Central Region honors, the NSCAA announced Friday.

Sara Egbom was named to the first team, Hayley Hollenga received second team accolades, and Megan Striedel and Madyson Wellcome earned third team distinction.

NSCAA all-region and All-America teams are voted on by head women’s soccer coaches. Last month, CoSIDA announced its separate Daktronics All-Central Region and All-America teams, voted on by sports information directors.

Egbom, a 5-foot-3 fifth-year senior midfielder from Hope Christian High School in Albuquerque, N.M., received NSCAA All-Central Region honors for the first time in her after being named to the third team as a junior in 2010.

Earlier this fall, she was named to the Daktronics All-Central Region first team after being a Daktronics second team pick a year ago. She’s also a three-time All-Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference performer, a three-time RMAC All-Academic selection, and a one-time Academic All-District VII second team pick (in 2010).

As a senior, she amassed 13 points on three goals and seven assists. Egbom ranks among FLC’s career leaders in assists (third, 18), goals (fifth, 21), total points (fifth, 60), and games played (seventh, 81).

“Sara is a player who grew into a fantastic leader for us,” said fifth-year FLC head coach Damian Clarke. “She plays with a lot of passion and is the person in the middle that helps us stay connected from back to front.”

Hollenga, a 5-foot-7 fifth-year senior forward from Air Academy High School in Colorado Springs, Colo., has been named to five all-region teams during her career. She was also a second team NSCAA All-American in 2010, a three-time All-RMAC selection, a three-time RMAC All-Academic pick, and the RMAC Athlete of the Month this September. As a junior in 2010, she also appeared in Sports Illustrated’s “Faces in the Crowd.”

Hollenga is FLC’s career leader in scoring (116 points), goals (43), assists (30), and game-winning goals (15) and ranks third in games played (88). She was named to FLC’s All-Century Team, which featured the 100 top athletes, coaches, and administrators in school history, earlier this fall. She also played on seven FLC teams that have qualified for NCAA playoffs — four in soccer and three in basketball.

“Hayley has been the most consistent threat the program has ever had and she performs well under pressure,” said Clarke. “She is one of the best attacking players in the region.”

Striedel, a 5-foot-6 sophomore midfielder from Red Mountain High School in Mesa, Ariz., received third team NSCAA All-Central Region accolades after being named to the Daktronics All-Central Region second team last month. Earlier this season, she was also named to the All-RMAC second team and RMAC All-Academic first team. She has 14 total points on six goals and two assists this season.

“Megan is a straight-up hard-nose type of player,” said Clarke. “She wins tackles and connects passes. You can’t ask for much more out of a midfield player.”

Wellcome, a 5-foot-4 sophomore from Hamilton High School in Chandler, Ariz., was a repeat third team selection on the NSCAA All-Central Region team and is a two-time Daktronics All-Central Region choice. She also received second team RMAC All-Academic honors in 2011, has received RMAC Defensive Player of the Week honors twice, and was picked by league coaches as the 2011 RMAC Preseason Defensive Player of the Year.

“Madyson is a tough player who can do it all,” said Clarke. “She tackles and marks players quite well, and she just keeps getting better.”

The NSCAA All-America team was also announced on Friday. No Skyhawks were selected, however.

Fort Lewis (15-3-4 overall) finished the season ranked No. 11 in the NCAA Division II. The Skyhawks lose just four seniors to graduation — Egbom, Hollenga, midfielder Jane Barden, and defender Michelle Felten.

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