Megan Kerns Named SoccerBuzz.com All-American; Tahnai Annis & Jazmyne Avant Freshman All-Americans
Wednesday, January 28, 2009 | Soccer
University of Florida senior Megan Kerns (Ames, Iowa) is a SoccerBuzz.com All-American, the outlet released Wednesday afternoon. Fourteen Gator players have picked up a total of 27 SoccerBuzz.com All-America honors in the program's 14-year history. Kerns appears on the SoccerBuzz.com All-America third team.
Kerns was named to the All-Southeastern Conference first-team in 2008 and also was placed on the SEC All-Tournament team. She led UF in 2008 with 35 points, 13 goals and five game-winning goals and shared first in assists (9). Her three goals in UF's 6-1 win at Alabama earned her three weekly honors, including the SEC Offensive Player of the Week. Kerns finished holding the No. 8 position on Florida's Career Points chart with 22 goals, 18 assists for 62 points. She was selected by the St. Louis Athletica in the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) draft earlier this month.
Florida's Tahnai Annis (Zanesville, Ohio) and Jazmyne Avant (Coppell, Texas) both appear on SoccerBuzz.com Freshman All-America teams. Florida now has 10 players who have earned SoccerBuzz.com Freshman All-America honors since 1996. Annis is part of the SoccerBuzz.com Freshman All-America second team, while Avant appears on the third team.
Annis and Avant were named to the 2008 SEC All-Freshman team. Annis finished third among the Gators with 22 points and shared second with four game-winning goals. Her nine goals stood second on the team and are the most by a Gator freshman since Abby Wambach turned in 19 in 1998. She is a two-time recipient of the SEC Freshman of the Week (Aug. 25 and Sept. 8). Avant started 22 matches and stood sixth among the Gators with her average of 74.2 minutes per match from her right back position. She turned in three assists.
In addition to Kerns, Florida placed three other players on the SoccerBuzz.com All-Southeast Region team. Senior Ameera Abdullah (Denver, Colo.) and junior Lauren Hyde (Carmel, Ind.) appear on the second team while junior Ashlee Elliott (Corona, Calif.) is a third-team selection.
Abdullah also earned NSCAA All-America third team and Soccer America MVP honors in 2008. As a senior, Abdullah was second among the Gators in points (25), shared UF's assists lead (9) and was third with eight goals. She was named to the All-SEC first-team in 2008 and also was placed on the SEC All-Tournament team. In the opening weekend of SEC regular-season play, Abdullah scored the first two goals in Florida's 5-1 win versus Tennessee, earning her a spot on the TopDrawerSoccer.com Team of the Week. Abdullah finished holding the No. 7 position on Florida's Career Points chart with 25 goals, 18 assists for 68 points. She was selected by the FC Gold Pride in the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS) draft earlier this month.
Hyde is a three-time All-SEC honoree, appearing on the second team in 2008. She started all but two matches the Gators have played during her collegiate career. Hyde played the entirety of 17 matches in 2008 and averaged 87 minutes per match in league play from her center back position.
Elliott made her second consecutive appearance on the All-SEC first team in 2008. The midfielder tallied four goals and three assists to finish fifth among the Gators with 11 points.
During the 2008 season, Florida turned in a record of 19-4-1, which included becoming the first team to post an 11-0 record in SEC play since the league started round-robin play in 2004. The Gators advanced to the NCAA Round of 16 and won its ninth SEC title.
| 2008 Soccer Buzz Awards, Division 1 Women's Soccer | ||||
| ALL AMERICA, FIRST TEAM |
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| PLAYER | SCHOOL | POSITION | YEAR |
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| Kerri Hanks | Notre Dame | Forward | Senior | |
| Casey Nogueira | North Carolina | Forward | Junior | |
| Sanna Talonen | Florida State | Forward | Sophomore | |
| Yael Averbuch | North Carolina | Midfielder | Senior | |
| Amanda DaCosta | Florida State | Midfielder | Sophomore | |
| Christina DiMartino | UCLA | Midfielder | Senior | |
| Yolanda Odenyo | Oklahoma State | Midfielder | Senior | |
| Megan Rapinoe | Portland | Midfielder | Senior | |
| Marissa Abegg | Stanford | Defender | Senior | |
| Carrie Dew | Notre Dame | Defender | Senior | |
| Erin Hardy | UCLA | Defender | Senior | |
| Nikki Krzysik | Virginia | Defender | Senior | |
| Kasey Moore | Texas | Defender | Senior | |
| Allysa Naeher | Penn State | Goalkeeper | Junior | |
| ALL AMERICA, SECOND TEAM | ||||
| PLAYER | SCHOOL | POSITION | YEAR | |
| Brittany Bock | Notre Dame | Forward | Senior | |
| Lauren Cheney | UCLA | Forward | Junior | |
| Laura Heyboer | Michigan State | Forward | Freshman | |
| Nikki Marshall | Colorado | Forward | Junior | |
| Lindsay Taylor | Stanford | Forward | Freshman | |
| Hailey Beam | Charlotte | Midfielder | Junior | |
| Carolyn Blank | West Virginia | Midfielder | Junior | |
| Tobin Heath | North Carolina | Midfielder | Junior | |
| Kelsey Hood | Minnesota | Midfielder | Senior | |
| Teresa Noyola | Stanford | Midfielder | Freshman | |
| Greer Barnes | West Virginia | Defender | Senior | |
| Whitney Engen | North Carolina | Defender | Junior | |
| Sarah Wagenfuhr | Florida State | Defender | Senior | |
| Erin Guthrie | Rutgers | Goalkeeper | Junior | |
| ALL AMERICA, THIRD TEAM | ||||
| PLAYER | SCHOOL | POSITION | YEAR | |
| Corky Julien | James Madison | Forward | Junior | |
| Megan Kerns | Florida | Forward | Senior | |
| Katie Larkin | BYU | Forward | Senior | |
| Amy Rodriguez | USC | Forward | Senior | |
| Claire Zimmeck | William & Mary | Forward | Senior | |
| Zoe Bouchelle | Penn State | Midfielder | Senior | |
| Sinead Farrelly | Virginia | Midfielder | Sophomore | |
| Malorie Rutledge | LSU | Midfielder | Junior | |
| Sarah Teegarden | UW-Milwaukee | Midfielder | Senior | |
| Nikki Washington | North Carolina | Midfielder | Junior |
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| Kaley Fountain | Wake Forest | Defender | Junior | |
| Bri Young | Texas A&M | Defender | Freshman | |
| Emily Zurrer | Illinois | Defender | Senior | |
| Jillian Mastroianni | Boston College | Goalkeeper | Freshman | |
| ALL AMERICA, FOURTH TEAM |
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| PLAYER | SCHOOL | POSITION | YEAR | |
| Alysha Bonnick | Missouri | Forward | Sophomore | |
| Sarah Hagen | UW-Milwaukee | Forward | Freshman | |
| Melissa Henderson | Notre Dame | Forward | Freshman | |
| Sophie Reiser | Columbia | Forward | Junior | |
| Julia Bouchelle | Boston College | Midfielder | Freshman | |
| Ahna Johnson | Fairfield | Midfielder | Senior | |
| Ashley Nick | USC | Midfielder | Senior | |
| Elisabeth Redmond | Duke | Midfielder | Junior | |
| Jennie Clark | Minnesota | Defender | Sophomore | |
| Jessica Crankshaw | Hofstra | Defender | Senior | |
| Katie Kelly | Marquette | Defender | Senior | |
| Michelle Wenino | Colorado | Defender | Senior | |
| Andrea Willis | BYU | Defender | Junior | |
| Diana Pfenninger | Texas | Goalkeeper | Senior | |
| FRESHMAN ALL AMERICA, FIRST TEAM |
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| PLAYER | SCHOOL | POSITION |
| Sarah Hagen | UW-Milwaukee | Forward |
| Melissa Henderson | Notre Dame | Forward |
| Laura Heyboer | Michigan State | Forward |
| Tiffany McCarty | Florida State | Forward |
| Lindsay Taylor | Stanford | Forward |
| Julia Bouchelle | Boston College | Midfielder |
| Kate Deines | Washington | Midfielder |
| Katy Frierson | Auburn | Midfielder |
| Teresa Noyola | Stanford | Midfielder |
| Alyssa Pember | Boston College | Defender |
| Ashley Rape | Duke | Defender |
| Bri Young | Texas A&M | Defender |
| Jillian Mastroianni | Boston College | Goalkeeper |
| FRESHMAN ALL AMERICA, SECOND TEAM | ||
| PLAYER | SCHOOL | POSITION |
| Lauren Alwine | Virginia | Forward |
| Jordan Calhoun | TCU | Forward |
| Danielle Foxhoven | Portland | Forward |
| Courtney Jones | North Carolina | Forward |
| Tahnai Annis | Florida | Midfielder |
| Camille Levin | Stanford | Midfielder |
| Lauren Montenegro | Purdue | Midfielder |
| Diana Weigel | William & Mary | Midfielder |
| Beth West | Texas A&M | Midfielder |
| Jessica Brandt | James Madison | Defender |
| Katelin Chaklos | Michigan State | Defender |
| Jessica Schuveiller | Notre Dame | Defender |
| McKinzie Olsen | BYU | Goalkeeper |
| FRESHMAN ALL AMERICA, THIRD TEAM | ||
| PLAYER | SCHOOL | POSITION |
| Melanie Baskind | Harvard | Forward |
| Emily Cressy | Kansas | Forward |
| Sydney Leroux | UCLA | Forward |
| Veronica Napoli | Northeastern | Forward |
| Lauren Anderson | BYU | Midfielder |
| Kylie Doniak | Texas | Midfielder |
| Tori Huster | Florida State | Midfielder |
| Taylor Lytle | Texas Tech | Midfielder |
| Jazmyne Avant | Florida | Defender |
| Kassie McCluskie | Portland | Defender |
| Melinda Mercado | Oklahoma State | Defender |
| Whitney Sharpe | UCLA | Defender |
| Vikki Alonzo | Miami FL | Goalkeeper |
| Mo Isom | LSU | Goalkeeper |
| FRESHMAN ALL AMERICA, FOURTH TEAM |
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| PLAYER | SCHOOL | POSITION |
| Ariana Calderon | Long Island | Forward |
| Blake Miller | West Virginia | Forward |
| Elizabeth Simmonin | Memphis | Forward |
| Kelly Butler | Colorado | Midfielder |
| Kelly D'Ambrisi | Georgetown | Midfielder |
| Brittany Kerridge | USC | Midfielder |
| Maggie Kistner | Virginia | Midfielder |
| Elissa Magracia | San Diego | Midfielder |
| Erin Pardinni | UNC Wilmington | Midfielder |
| Kathleen Beljan | Dayton | Defender |
| Michelle Olivier | Portland | Defender |
| Emma Thomson | Penn State | Defender |
| Aline Reis | UCF | Goalkeeper |
| Libby Stout | Western Kentucky | Goalkeeper |
| ALL SOUTHEAST, FIRST TEAM |
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| PLAYER | SCHOOL | POSITION | YEAR |
| Megan Kerns | Florida | Forward | Senior |
| Tiffany McCarty | Florida State | Forward | Freshman |
| Casey Nogueira | North Carolina | Forward | Junior |
| Sanna Talonen | Florida State | Forward | Sophomore |
| Yael Averbuch | North Carolina | Midfielder | Senior |
| Hailey Beam | Charlotte | Midfielder | Junior |
| Amanda DaCosta | Florida State | Midfielder | Sophomore |
| Tobin Heath | North Carolina | Midfielder | Junior |
| Nikki Washington | North Carolina | Midfielder | Junior |
| Becky Edwards | Florida State | Defender | Junior |
| Whitney Engen | North Carolina | Defender | Junior |
| Kaley Fountain | Wake Forest | Defender | Junior |
| Sarah Wagenfuhr | Florida State | Defender | Senior |
| Amber Campbell | East Carolina | Goalkeeper | Senior |
| ALL SOUTHEAST, SECOND TEAM | |||
| PLAYER | SCHOOL | POSITION | YEAR |
| Ameera Abdullah | Florida | Forward | Senior |
| Kayanne Gummersall | Duke | Forward | Junior |
| Courtney Jones | North Carolina | Forward | Freshman |
| Whitney Weinraub | Charlotte | Forward | Sophomore |
| Katy Frierson | Auburn | Midfielder | Freshman |
| Lorraine Quinn | Duke | Midfielder | Senior |
| Elisabeth Redmond | Duke | Midfielder | Junior |
| Amy Smerdzinski | Wake Forest | Midfielder | Senior |
| Lauren Hyde | Florida | Defender | Junior |
| Blakely Mattern | South Carolina | Defender | Junior |
| Nikki Moore | UCF | Defender | Junior |
| Ashley Rape | Duke | Defender | Freshman |
| Megan Tomlinson | Georgia | Defender | Senior |
| Allison Whitworth | Auburn | Goalkeeper | Senior |
| ALL SOUTHEAST, THIRD TEAM | |||
| PLAYER | SCHOOL | POSITION | YEAR |
| Kyri Bye-Nagel | Davidson | Forward | Junior |
| Jill Hutchinson | Wake Forest | Forward | Junior |
| Carrie Patterson | Georgia | Forward | Junior |
| Meghan Castaldo | Mercer | Midfielder | Senior |
| Kaitlynn Donovan | UNC Greensboro | Midfielder | Senior |
| Ashlee Elliott | Florida | Midfielder | Junior |
| Ali Hawkins | North Carolina | Midfielder | Sophomore |
| Becca Thomas | UCF | Midfielder | Junior |
| Whitney Bryant | Charlotte | Defender | Sophomore |
| Madison Keller | East Carolina | Defender | Senior |
| Lauren Lopez | UNC Greensboro | Defender | Junior |
| Brittney MacDonald | Miami FL | Defender | Sophomore |
| Kelly Renkin | UNC Wilmington | Defender | Senior |
| Cassidy Powers | Duke | Goalkeeper | Senior |
| ALL FRESHMAN SOUTHEAST REGION |
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| PLAYER | SCHOOL | POSITION | |
| Vikki Alonzo | Miami FL | Goalkeeper | |
| Tahnai Annis | Florida | Midfielder | |
| Jazmyne Avant | Florida | Defender | |
| Brittani Bartok | North Carolina | Forward | |
| Oni Bernard | Charlotte | Forward | |
| Katy Frierson | Auburn | Midfielder | |
| Kayla Grimsley | South Carolina | Forward | |
| Amanda Howell | Wake Forest | Midfielder | |
| Tori Huster | Florida State | Midfielder | |
| Courtney Jones | North Carolina | Forward | |
| Tiffany McCarty | Florida State | Forward | |
| Erin Pardinni | UNC Wilmington | Midfielder | |
| Bailey Powell | Georgia | Defender | |
| Ashley Rape | Duke | Defender | |
| Aline Reis | UCF | Goalkeeper | |
| Casey Short | Florida State | Midfielder | |
| Ella Stephan | Florida State | Defender | |
| Tiffini Turpin | UAB | Forward | |
