DENVER, Colo. - The Western Athletic Conference soccer coaches selected their 2002 preseason award winners today. Earning preseason Player of the Year honors was SMU senior forward Tara Comfort.
SMU, which was picked to win the WAC in 2002, led all schools with three players on the all-WAC preseason team. Nevada, Rice and UTEP all placed two players on the team, while Hawai`i, Boise State, Nevada and Tulsa all earned one honoree.
Comfort, who was the 2001 WAC Player of the Year and WAC Tournament MVP, is a senior hailing from Carrollton, Texas. Comfort was second in points scored (17) and goals (7) in WAC matches in 2001, leading the Mustangs to the second round of the NCAA Tournament.
Other all-WAC honorees that return from last season include: Hawai`i's Arlene Devitt (1st team), SMU's Diana Kelm (1st team) and Erin McLeod (1st team), UTEP's Holly Cohen (2nd team), Boise State's Kaziah Hill (2nd team), Rice's Sarah Yoder (2nd team) and Caitlin Currie (2nd team) and Nevada's Leisha Makinano (2nd team).
2002 WAC SOCCER PRESEASON AWARD WINNERS
Name School Pos. Yr.
Holly Cohen UTEP MF Sr.
Tara Comfort SMU F Sr.
Caitlin Currie Rice D So.
Arlene Devitt Hawai`i F Jr.
Kaziah Hill BSU F Jr.
Diana Kelm SMU MF Sr.
Leisha Makinano Nevada D Jr.
Erin McLeod SMU GK So.
Kelly Parker UTEP MF Sr.
Julie Twellman Tulsa F/MF Sr.
Sarah Yoder Rice MF So.
Preseason Player of the Year: Tara Comfort, SMU