Mihalek Earns Great Midwest Defensive Player Of The Year Honor

It's a tradition as old as – Ashland University being in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference.
 
The Eagle women's soccer team once again has the Great Midwest's Defensive Player of the Year, as, on Wednesday (Nov. 8) afternoon, junior midfielder Merrik Mihalek became the third AU player in as many seasons to earn the distinction. The 2023 Great Midwest women's soccer teams were revealed on Wednesday, and Mihalek is one of seven players to earn league honors.
 
Mihalek has led an Ashland defensive effort that is the best in NCAA Division II – the highest shutout percentage (15 in 19 games) and lowest team goals-against average (0.21) in the country. She also has added seven goals and four assists for 18 points on offense, as well.
 
In its first three seasons in the Great Midwest, Ashland women's soccer has seen Mihalek, Rylie Howman (2022) and Tori Baker (2021) earn league Defensive Player of the Year honors.
 
Mihalek also is a first-team all-conference selection, joining junior defender Julianna Williams, sophomore forward Dani Hicks and senior goalkeeper Mackenzie Simon.

• Williams is in her second season as a starter in the back for AU, and this is her first all-league selection. She has started and played in 17 games in helping with the team's stout defense, and has added an assist.
• Hicks leads Ashland in goals (nine), assists (six), points (24) and game-winning goals (four) in 2023, and is a league first-teamer after earning second-team honors as a freshman.
• Simon is NCAA Division II's pacesetter in goals-against average at 0.22, and is second in D-II in save percentage at .927. She is 13-0-1 and has nine solo clean sheets this fall.

Three Eagles – junior defender Myah Giordullo, junior forward McKinley Mendenhall and senior forward Allison King – are all-conference second-teamers.

• Giordullo has started and played all 19 games, both at center back and on the outside, as one of the leaders of AU's defense.
• Mendenhall, the 2021 Great Midwest Freshman of the Year and 2021 first-second-teamer and 2022 first-teamer, has five goals and five assists for 15 points so far in 2023.
• King has played in all 19 games and started 16, and has five goals for 10 points this fall.

No. 2-ranked Ashland is 16-0-3 overall going into a Great Midwest tourney semifinal on Thursday (Nov. 9) at 1:30 p.m. vs. Cedarville (15-3-1) at Northwood.
  2023 – Merrik Mihalek, midfielder
2022 – Rylie Howman, defender
2021 – Tori Baker, defender