Jenna Shellenberg Earns Third Consecutive AMC Women's Soccer Player of the Year Award to Highlight Post-Season Honors

Lebanon, Ill. – For the third consecutive year, McKendree College forward Jenna Shellenberg has been named the American Midwest Conference Women's Soccer Player of the Year. Shellenberg earned the honor in a vote by the league's coaches following the completion of the 2006 regular season. The AMC post-season honors were announced following the conclusion of the AMC Play-In Tournament on Nov. 1.

Shellenberg, a senior from Troy, Ill., captured the award for the third straight time by leading the AMC in scoring with 15 goals and 35 total points. It marked the second time in as many years that Shellenberg has led the conference in scoring. She became the Bearcats' all-time leading scorer during the 2006 season, pushing her career total to 115 points.

McKendree College head coach Tim Strange collected his fourth straight AMC Coach of the Year award by leading the Bearcats to their fourth AMC regular-season championship in a row. Strange, who is in his eighth season as the head coach of the McKendree women's program, has compiled a career record of 117-33-9.

Kendra Gavlick of Missouri Baptist University is the 2006 AMC Newcomer of the Year. Gavlick, a junior back from St. Charles, Mo., anchored the Spartans' defense this season. She also had one assist for Missouri Baptist.

The AMC Freshman of the Year award for 2006 will be shared by Katie Archibald of Hannibal-LaGrange College and Kelsey Johnson of McKendree College. Archibald, a forward from Council Bluffs, Iowa, collected 12 goals and added five assists for 29 total points. She tied for second in the conference in scoring. Johnson, a midfielder from Granite City, Ill., posted one goal and added two assists while aiding a defensive unit that allowed just 15 goals in 18 games.

The Fair Play and Sportsmanship Award is annually presented to one AMC women’s soccer squad based on two areas of sportsmanship. First, teams are awarded points based on their total number of red and yellow cards accumulated throughout the regular season. Second, AMC coaches vote on the squads, ranking their level of sportsmanship during their respective contests. The recipient of the Fair Play and Sportsmanship Award for 2006 is McKendree College.

A complete list of the first team, honorable mention squad and the academic all-conference team, is listed below. Members of the academic all-conference team have earned at least a 3.0 grade point average on a 4.0 scale:

Hannibal-LaGrange College
Holly Balkenbush, Emily Clausen, Megan DeHues, Katherine Minx, Katie Porter, Christina Schremp, Christine Stevens, Kaitlin Symons, Ashley Tucker

Harris-Stowe State University
Katie Magee, Darla Sewell, Megan Syron, Stephanie Yourdan

McKendree College
Katie Beck, Nicole Chappell, Laura Cox, Lucy Elliott, Ashley Hayes, Holly Hogan, Katie Hubbard, Natalie Jameson, April Schatz, Jenna Shellenberg, Jill Wolfmeier

Missouri Baptist University
Elaine Connolly, Kayla Fields, Brianne Henrichs, Erika Milroy, Brittany Patzius, Kat Prior, Crystal Stadter, Lauren Tennison

William Woods University
Kristen Antle, Stacie Bonte, Katie Finley, Ashley Morgan, Danielle Peters, Denise Peters, Liz Runnels

2006 Fair Play & Sportsmanship Award - McKendree College