TicketsCINCINNATI – University of Cincinnati senior defender Ashley Barron was named the American Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year for the third straight year as a part of six Bearcats to secure season honors from the league on Wednesday.
Barron, the preseason favorite to repeat, becomes the only Bearcat and only AAC athlete, male or female, to win the honor three times. The Toledo native also earned her fourth spot on the All-Conference First Team, the only player in program history to do so. Barron notched two goals and an assist on the season, anchoring a backline that allowed only 154 shots this season.
In addition to Barron, Bearcats placed three student-athletes on the All-Conference Second Team. Junior midfielder Lauren Bastian earned her first nod after tying for a team-high three assists and two goals on the season, while senior forward/defender Kendall Battle secured the distinction for the second time in her career after logging 1,472 minutes on a defense that achieved seven shutouts.
Graduate student forward Vanessa DiNardo rounds out the trio of second team honorees with her second straight selection. DiNardo led the team with four goals, 10 points and 46 shots, ranking third in the conference with 2.63 shots per game.
Megan Smith and Maddie Swingle earned selections on the All-Conference Rookie Team after impressive campaigns. Smith was one of three Bearcats to register a team-high four goals, earning Rookie of the Week honors three times this season.
Swingle recorded a pair of goals and an assist, making 10 starts in her first season.
The six honors marks 25 All-Conference selection under Stafford, including four league superlative selections.
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Barron, the preseason favorite to repeat, becomes the only Bearcat and only AAC athlete, male or female, to win the honor three times. The Toledo native also earned her fourth spot on the All-Conference First Team, the only player in program history to do so. Barron notched two goals and an assist on the season, anchoring a backline that allowed only 154 shots this season.
In addition to Barron, Bearcats placed three student-athletes on the All-Conference Second Team. Junior midfielder Lauren Bastian earned her first nod after tying for a team-high three assists and two goals on the season, while senior forward/defender Kendall Battle secured the distinction for the second time in her career after logging 1,472 minutes on a defense that achieved seven shutouts.
Graduate student forward Vanessa DiNardo rounds out the trio of second team honorees with her second straight selection. DiNardo led the team with four goals, 10 points and 46 shots, ranking third in the conference with 2.63 shots per game.
Megan Smith and Maddie Swingle earned selections on the All-Conference Rookie Team after impressive campaigns. Smith was one of three Bearcats to register a team-high four goals, earning Rookie of the Week honors three times this season.
Swingle recorded a pair of goals and an assist, making 10 starts in her first season.
The six honors marks 25 All-Conference selection under Stafford, including four league superlative selections.
FOLLOW THE BEARCATS
For all the latest information on Cincinnati women's soccer, please visit GoBEARCATS.com and follow @GoBearcatsWSOC on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook.