BIRMINGHAM, Ala.- The Southwestern Athletic Conference has announced the 2022 Preseason All-SWAC Soccer team and individual award winners as voted by the league's head coaches and sports information directors.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff's Natalie Freeman was tabbed as the Preseason Offensive Player of the Year while Prairie View A&M's Andrea Nugent was named Preseason Defensive Player of the Year. Alabama State's Shelia Sanchez was selected as the Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year rounding out the list of preseason individual award selections.
Alabama A&M led all teams with a total of five selections each followed by Prairie View A&M with four. Alabama State and Southern followed with three selections. Jackson State, Arkansas-Pine Bluff and Grambling State tallied a total of two selections while Texas Southern tabbed one preseason selection.
Arkansas-Pine Bluff's Freeman finished tied for second in the conference in goals (10). She also finished third in shots on goal (25), sixth in shots average (2.16), tied for second in the league in points (23), and eighth in assists (3). Freeman played a significant role as a freshman to help the Lady Lions finish the season in second place in points average (4.84), first place in goals (36), and second place in assists (20). Freeman led the SWAC with the highest number of goals scored in a single game (4).
Prairie View A&M's Nugent played and started in all of the Lady Panthers regular season games this past season. She tallied four goals along with four assists on the season while taking 27 shots with 14 shots on goals. The defensive standout was named SWAC Offensive Player of the Week once and SWAC Defensive Player of the Week five times this past season.
Alabama State's Sanchez recorded a season-high 20 saves with no goals allowed against UAB this past season. She also recorded double-digit saves in non-conference play at Stetson with 12 saves. Sanchez tallied a total of 90 saves during the season averaging 6.0 saves per outing.
A full listing of the preseason selections can be found below.
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
Natalie Freeman- Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Andrea Nugent- Prairie View A&M
Preseason Goalkeeper of the Year
Shelia Sanchez- Alabama State
Preseason All-SWAC First Team
Forward: Makayla Rushing- Alabama A&M
Forward: Natalie Freeman- Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Forward: Annalise Brunson- Jackson State
Midfielder: Camila Jimenez- Alabama State
Midfielder: Kaydeen Jack- Grambling State
Midfielder: Lesa Griffin- Prairie View A&M
Midfielder: Ashley Arnes- Texas Southern
Defender: Andrea Nugent- Prairie View A&M
Defender: Taylor Watson- Alabama A&M
Defender: Cordney Armstrong- Southern
Goalkeeper: Shelia Sanchez- Alabama State
Preseason All-SWAC Second Team
Forward: Lizbeth Aguero- Grambling State
Forward: Giftee Tor-Southern
Forward: Jameela Barrett- Alabama A&M
Midfielder: Isabella Beortegui- Alabama State
Midfielder: Sherice Clarke- Alabama A&M
Midfielder: Aniya Clarke- Southern
Midfielder: Tateyana Pitter- Alabama A&M
Defender: Sydni Wilson- Jackson State
Defender: Alondra Lepe- Arkansas-Pine Bluff
Defender: Megan Howell- Prairie View A&M
Goalkeeper: Medinat Lawal- Prairie View A&M
About the SWAC
The Southwestern Athletic Conference (SWAC) is considered one of the premier HBCU conferences in the country and currently ranks among the elite in the nation in terms of HBCU alumni playing with professional sports teams.
Current championship competition offered by the league includes competition for men in Baseball, Basketball, Cross Country, Football, Golf, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field and Tennis.
Women's competition is offered in the sports of Basketball, Bowling, Cross Country, Golf, Indoor Track and Field, Outdoor Track and Field, Soccer, Softball, Tennis and Volleyball.
Follow the SWAC
For complete coverage of the Southwestern Athletic Conference, please follow the SWAC on social media at @TheSWAC (Twitter), @TheSWAC (Facebook), and @TheSWAC (Instagram) or visit the official home of the Southwestern Athletic Conference at
www.swac.org.
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