SAN MATEO, Calif. – BYU senior Mikayla Colohan and Santa Clara senior Alex Loera each made West Coast Conference history by collecting two of the Conference’s major awards for the third consecutive year as the WCC announced its 2021 women’s soccer postseason honors. All six individual awards and the All-WCC teams were voted on solely by the Conference’s 10 coaches.
Loera is the first player in Conference history to be voted the WCC Defender of the Year three times, capturing the award each of the last three seasons. Colohan is the third player in the Conference’s history to be voted the WCC Offensive Player of the Year three times. She was also named the Conference’s inaugural Midfielder of the Year.
After being appointed interim co-head coaches prior to the 2021 season and leading Pacific to its best record in 12 years, Danesha Adams and J.J. Wozniak were voted the WCC Coaches of the Year. On Monday, Adams and Wozniak were promoted and named the Tigers’ co-head coaches moving forward.
Pacific netminder Brenna Crump was voted the WCC Goalkeeper of the Year and Saint Mary’s forward Alexis Gutierrez was recognized as the WCC Freshman of the Year.
Colohan joins Santa Clara star Mandy Clemens (1997-99) and Portland star Christine Sinclair (2002, 2004, 2005) as the Conference’s only three-time winners of the WCC Offensive Player of the Year award (the award was modified from Player of the Year to Offensive Player of the Year prior to the 2021 spring season). Colohan, who came back for her fifth year this fall, is one of only 19 women’s soccer players in the Conference’s history to earn selection to either the All-WCC first or second team four times during her career. The BYU star has been a First Team All-WCC selection each of the past four years. She was an honorable mention selection during her true freshman season in 2017. Colohan, a candidate for the MAC Hermann Trophy again this year, tied for the conference lead in scoring with 20 points (six goals, eight assists) in BYU’s nine conference matches. She led the WCC in scoring overall with 39 points on 13 goals and 13 assists during the regular season. Colohan recorded a conference-high 56 shots during WCC play. The BYU star helped the Cougars secure a share of the WCC Championship with Santa Clara. BYU earned a No. 4 national seed in the NCAA Tournament and will host New Mexico in the opening round this Saturday at 5 p.m. MT.
Loera is the first three-time WCC Defender of the Year in the Conference’s history. Loera, who came back for her fifth season with the Broncos this fall, joins teammate Kelsey Turnbow and Pepperdine fifth-year senior Joelle Anderson as the first women’s soccer players in the Conference’s history to earn All-WCC first or second team selection five times in their careers. She was voted to the All-WCC First Team for the fourth consecutive season. Loera was an All-WCC Second Team selection as a true freshman in 2017. The Santa Clara star, who has anchored a back line that posted five shutouts in conference play this season, helped guide the Broncos to a share of the WCC Championship this season – their second consecutive conference title – and another NCAA Tournament selection this fall. Santa Clara, the defending NCAA Champion, will host Stanford on Saturday at 1 p.m. PT. Loera’s impact is felt all over the pitch, as the fifth-year senior has also recorded two goals and seven assists on the year. She scored the game-winning goal in overtime against Saint Mary’s this past Saturday to secure Santa Clara’s conference crown. Loera, who won the Honda Award last season, is a candidate for the MAC Hermann Trophy.
Crump earned the WCC Goalkeeper of the Year award after a standout season for the Tigers where she posted eight shutouts overall and led the Conference with 85 saves overall. She registered a WCC-best 60 saves in conference play. The senior finished the regular season with a .810 save percentage and was selected as the WCC’s Defensive Player of the Week on three occasions throughout the year.
Gutierrez was recognized as the WCC Freshman of the Year following a standout rookie campaign with the Gaels. The forward finished the year with three goals and three assists to rank third on the Saint Mary’s roster in scoring with nine points. In the season finale against WCC Champion Santa Clara, the freshman forward scored in the second half to tie the match and force overtime. She also found the back of the net in wins over Sacramento State and San Diego State earlier in the year. Gutierrez is the first player from Saint Mary’s to capture WCC Freshman of the Year honors since the award was first handed out in 1992.
Adams and Wozniak, who were appointed co-head coaches on an interim basis prior to the season, were named the program’s co-head coaches moving forward on Monday after Pacific earned its best record in 12 seasons. Adams and Wozniak engineered a nine-game improvement from the 2021 spring season, capturing 10 victories overall this fall. The Tigers, who compiled an 8-1-1 record and boasted a seven-match winning streak in non-conference play, posted nine shutouts on the year. Under Adams and Wozniak, Pacific saw three members earn All-WCC recognition, highlighted by the WCC Goalkeeper of the Year, Brenna Crump.
Santa Clara fifth-year senior Kelsey Turnbow, who joined Loera and Anderson as the first WCC women’s soccer players to earn All-WCC first or second team honors five times, is the Conference’s first ever five-time All-WCC First Team selection (2017-21). Turnbow, who has nine goals and nine assists on the year, is a candidate for the MAC Hermann Trophy.
Anderson, who earned All-WCC First Team honors for the third consecutive year, was also a second team selection in 2018 and 2017. She earned All-WCC First Team honors each of the past two seasons and was a second-team selection in 2017 and 2018. A candidate or the MAC Hermann Trophy, the Pepperdine star has nine goals and four assists this season. Anderson and Pepperdine earned a No. 4 national seed in the NCAA Tournament and will host South Dakota State this Saturday at noon PT.
| WCC COACHES OF THE YEAR |
| Danesha Adams and J.J. Wozniak |
Pacific |
| WCC OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR |
| Mikayla Colohan |
BYU |
Sr. |
| WCC DEFENDER OF THE YEAR |
| Alex Loera |
Santa Clara |
Sr. |
| WCC MIDFIELDER OF THE YEAR |
| Mikayla Colohan |
BYU |
Sr. |
| WCC GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR |
| Brenna Crump |
Pacific |
Jr. |
| WCC FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR |
| Alexis Gutierrez |
Saint Mary’s |
F |
ALL-WCC FIRST TEAM
| NAME |
SCHOOL |
POSITION |
YEAR |
| Joelle Anderson |
Pepperdine |
F |
Sr. |
| Mikayla Colohan |
BYU |
M |
Sr. |
| Izzy D'Aquila |
Santa Clara |
F |
Jr. |
| Erin Healy |
Gonzaga |
M |
Jr. |
| Alex Loera |
Santa Clara |
D |
Sr. |
| Nedya Sawan |
Portland |
F |
So. |
| Jamie Shepherd |
BYU |
M |
So. |
| Suzuna Shibukawa |
Saint Mary’s |
F |
So. |
| Cameron Tucker |
BYU |
F |
Sr. |
| Kelsey Turnbow |
Santa Clara |
F |
Sr. |
| Tori Waldeck |
Pepperdine |
F |
So. |
ALL-WCC SECOND TEAM
| NAME |
SCHOOL |
POSITION |
YEAR |
| Sophia Braun |
Gonzaga |
M |
Jr. |
| Brenna Crump |
Pacific |
GK |
So. |
| Bella Folino |
BYU |
M |
So. |
| Michaela Foster |
San Diego |
D |
Jr. |
| Carlee Giammona |
Pepperdine |
M |
Jr. |
| Alexis Gutierrez |
Saint Mary's |
F |
Fr. |
| Kaile Halvorsen |
Santa Clara |
F |
Sr. |
| Brecken Mozingo |
BYU |
M |
So. |
| Marissa Vasquez |
USF |
M |
So. |
| Ellie Walker |
Portland |
D |
Sr. |
| Trinity Watson |
Pepperdine |
D |
Sr. |
ALL-WCC FRESHMAN TEAM
| NAME |
SCHOOL |
POSITION |
| Tabitha Laparl |
Pepperdine |
M |
| Olivia Smith |
BYU |
D |
| Alexis Gutierrez |
Saint Mary's |
F |
| Kelsey Oyler |
Gonzaga |
F |
| Bre Norris |
Portland |
F |
| Colby Barnett |
Santa Clara |
M |
| Willow Collins |
Gonzaga |
D |
| Kamila Pickett |
Pepperdine |
D |
| Elle Soleau |
San Francisco |
M |
| Karly Reeves |
Santa Clara |
D |
| Aniela Jensen |
Pacific |
M |
ALL-WCC HONORABLE MENTION
| NAME |
SCHOOL |
POSITION |
YEAR |
| Maya Alcantara |
Saint Mary’s |
D |
Sr. |
| Zoe Clevely |
Pepperdine |
GK |
Sr. |
| AnnaMaria Digeronimo |
Saint Mary’s |
M |
Sr. |
| Molly Eby |
San Francisco |
GK |
Sr. |
| Kylie Foutch |
Santa Clara |
GK |
So. |
| Lucy Mitchell |
Santa Clara |
M |
So. |
| Taryn Ries |
Portland |
F |
Sr. |
| Kenna Roth |
San Francisco |
D |
So. |
| Camryn Scully |
Pacific |
D |
Sr. |
| Jordan Thompson |
Gonzaga |
D |
Sr. |