McKendree’s Jenna Shellenberg gets unanimous nod as league MVP,
Bearcat coach Tim Strange earns coach of the year honors
for the second straight year

Columbia, Mo. – In a unanimous vote by American Midwest Conference (AMC) coaches, Jenna Shellenberg, a sophomore forward for the McKendree College Beacats, has been named the league’s most valuable player in women’s soccer for 2004. Shellenberg, who hails from Toy, Ill., led the Bearcats to a perfect 4-0 record vs. conference opponents. She posted 14 goals and dished out six assists during the regular season.

For the fourth time in five years, the AMC Coach of the Year is Tim Strange from McKendree College. Strange led the Bearcats to a perfect 4-0 record in league play, giving his team an automatic berth to the NAIA Region V Tournament, which begins next week. The Bearcats finished the regular season with an overall mark of 14-1-1.

Danielle Peters, a freshman forward for the Owls from William Woods University, is the 2004 AMC Freshman of the Year. In Peters’ first collegiate season, she played in 16 games. She finished the regular season with 12 goals and two assists, helping her squad to a second place finish in the AMC race.

Stacy Duerfahrd, who is also a member of the Missouri Baptist University Spartan squad, is the 2004 recipient of the AMC Newcomer of the Year award. The Newcomer of the Year honor is handed out the top transfer-student in the conference. Duerfahrd, a junior defender from Eureka, Mo., helped her team to nine shutouts during the regular season. In addition, she aided in one goal in her first season as a Spartan.

The Fair Play & 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 & Sportsmanship Award is Hannibal-LaGrange 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
Emily Clausen, Megan DeHues, Amanda Lake, Kat Minx, Khrista Tengesdal

Harris-Stowe State College
Joanna Athie, Sarah Berry, Christine Bell, Katie Magee, Stacey Niedbalski, Danielle Reinken, Stephanie Yourdan 

McKendree College
Katie Beck, Laura Cox, Natalie Jameson, Katie Hubbard, Stephanie Robbins, Jenna Shellenberg, Katie Steiger, Jill Wolfmeier 

Missouri Baptist University
Megan Cavish, Lauren Gamboa, Maria Frontroth, Fabiana Mendoza, Megan Mercer, Erica Milroy, Salome Ojosh, Salome Okech 

William Woods University
Katie Eason, Casey Fagin, Christy McPherson, Sara Moranville, Jennifer Palmer, Michelle Reed, Megan Whitney

2004 Fair Play & Sportsmanship Award - Hannibal-LaGrange College