Nov. 2, 2006

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - For the first time in Big Ten history, three players from the same team were named Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year and Freshman of the Year, as Ella Masar, Emily Zurrer and Chichi Nweke won those awards as selected by the conference coaches, the Big Ten announced Thursday. Masar and Nweke were outright honorees, and Zurrer shared Defensive Player of the Year laurels with Penn State's Ali Krieger. Midfielder Jackie Santacaterina rounded out the Illinois selections, earning a spot on the All-Freshman team.

Masar (Urbana, Ill.) has been the offensive engine for the Illini this season, putting up team highs in points (19) and assists (7) while scoring six goals, second-best on the squad. She has scored four game-winning goals and assisted on four others, contributing to the deciding tallies in two-thirds of Illinois' 12 wins. The defining moment of her season to this point was her performance against No. 9 Penn State, scoring the tying and game-winning goals to help the Illini recover from a 2-0 halftime deficit for a 3-2 win. Masar was honored as Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week for that performance, as well as earning Team of the Week honors from Soccer America and Soccer Buzz. Masar is Illinois' first Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year.

Zurrer (Vancouver, B.C.) has been a leader in the Illinois defense from the moment she rejoined the team the last week of August after playing with the Canadian U-20 National Team in Russia. After allowing nine goals in its first four matches without Zurrer, the Illini defense has held opponents to just 11 goals in 14 matches since her return. A two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week this season - a first for a non-goalkeeper - she has also been named to Teams of the Week by Soccer America, Soccer Buzz, Soccer Times and TopDrawerSoccer. Zurrer's most impressive weekend was against ranked Purdue and Indiana teams, when she helped coordinate a pair of shutouts, primarily using her footwork against the Boilermakers and her ability in the air against the Hoosiers. Zurrer is the Illini's second-straight co-Defensive Player of the Year, following Christen Karniski's selection in 2005.

Nweke (Virginia Beach, Va.), a top-75 national recruit, has provided the Illini with a counterpart to Masar and an immediate scoring presence. On the season, she has six goals and three assists for 15 points, third-best on the team and sixth-most by a freshman in Illinois history. She scored a pair of goals and notched two assists in Big Ten play, including the Illini's first goal against Penn State. However, her most prolific match was against then-No. 12 Utah, when she scored a hat trick in a 32-minute span of the second half. She was named to the TopDrawerSoccer Team of the Week for her effort. Nweke is Illinois' first Freshman of the Year.

Santacaterina's (Geneva, Ill.) selection gives the Illini two All-Freshman honorees for the second straight year after she grabbed a starting spot early in the season and never relinquished it. She has started 14 of 18 matches, playing the full match five times and scoring five points. Santacaterina knocked in the game-winning goal against then-No. 17 Purdue and tallied two assists against then-No. 12 Utah, including one on the game-winner. She also assisted on the game-winner against Minnesota.

Offensive Player of the Year: Ella Masar, ILL
Co-Defensive Players of the Year: Emily Zurrer, ILL; Ali Krieger, PSU
Freshman of the Year: Chichi Nweke, ILL
Coach of the Year: Paula Wilkins, PSU

All-Big Ten Teams
First Team
Forward
Ella Masar, ILL(unanimous)
Aubrey Aden-Buie, PSU
Parrissa Eyorokon, PUR
Lisa Collison, OSU

Midfield
Lara Dickenmann, OSU
Sheree Gray, PSU
Allie Long, PSU
Kara Kabellis, WIS

Defense
Ali Krieger, PSU
Emily Zurrer, ILL
Melissa Miller, OSU

Goalkeeper
Lauren Mason, PUR

Second Team
Forwards
Kelsey Hans, NU
Lisa Grubb, OSU
Judy Coffman, MICH

Midfield
Christie Kotynski, IND
Jordyn Shaffer, PUR
Kelsey Hood, MINN

Defense
Kelly Lawrence, IND
Lindsey Cottrell, MICH
Lauren Lamping, IND
Denay Riley, PSU

Goalkeeper
Megan Tuura, MICH
Alyssa Naeher, PSU

All-Freshmen Team
Forwards
Lauren Hill, MSU
Chichi Nweke, ILL
Katie Schoepfer, PSU

Midfield
Christie Kotynski, IND
Lauren Sinacola, MSU
Jackie Santacaterina, ILL
Ashley Bowyer, OSU

Defense
KELLY LAWRENCE, IND
Leigh Jakes, NU
Lyndsey Mueller, MINN

Goalkeeper
ALYSSA NAEHER, PSU

Scholarship Award Nominees
Quinn Reynolds, ILL
Lindsay McCarthy, IND
Melisa Kaetterhenry, IOWA
Lindsey Cottrell, MICH
Lauren Astry, MSU
Kaitlin Wagner, MINN
Shannon Schneeman, NU
Amanda Ball, OSU
Sarah Dwyer, PSU
Kristin Hetzel, PUR
Kara Kabellis, WIS

Unanimous selections in ALL CAPS
* At-Large pick awarded to first-team midfield and second-team defense