Huskers Rack Up Big 12 Honors

Lincoln ? Two Nebraska soccer players received all-conference honors while five others were recognized for their work in the classroom by the Big 12 Conference office Tuesday afternoon.

 

Junior Jenna Cooper was named to the All-Big 12 First Team as a defender for the first time in her career. The Louisville, Ky., native has started all 18 games this season and has posted 12 points on one goal and 10 assists on the season.

 

Cooper has contributed two game-winning assists this season and provided the game-winning goal against Texas A&M during the regular season.  She moved to ninth on the NU career charts with 21 assists and is tied for fifth on the all-time game-winning assists charts with seven.

 

Freshman Jessie Bruch was also named to the Big 12 All-Newcomer Team as a forward. Bruch has posted 15 points on seven goals and one assist on the season, including three game-winning goals.

 

The St. Louis, Mo., native has taken a team-high 68 shots, including 25 on goal, and is the only NU freshman to start all 18 games this season.

 

Senior Christy Harms led five Huskers on the Academic All-Big 12 First Team with a 3.337 grade-point average in community health education. The Blue Springs, Mo., native started the first seven games of the season before her collegiate career was cut short when she tore her anterior cruciate ligament. Harms has started 58 games in her career and has accumulated 44 points on 18 goals and eight assists at Nebraska.

 

Junior Lindsey Ingram was named to the academic first team with a 3.418 GPA in nursing. Ingram has been a crucial member of the NU defense this season and has started all 18 games in 2003. The Littleton, Colo., native has 10 points this season on three goals and four assists.

 

Sophomores Katie Bunkers and Pam Karakusis and redshirt freshman Amber Richardson were all named to the academic first team as well.

 

Bunkers has posted a 3.402 GPA in general studies and has started the last 14 games of the season on the NU backline. She was named to the 2002 All-Newcomer Team as well as the 2002 Big 12 All-Tournament Team.

 

Karakusis has established an outstanding 3.869 GPA in veterinary science. The Littleton, Colo., native has been limited this season with an inner ear disorder, but has scored one goal and added an assist in 12 games this year.

 

Richardson owns a 3.232 GPA in general studies and seen action in 11 games this season after coming back from a torn ACL as a freshman. The LaVista, Neb., native has posted four shots in 2003.

 

Colorado swept the all-conference awards as Fran Munnelly won player-of-the-year honors, Katie Griffin took newcomer-of-the-year honors and CU head coach Bill Hempen was named the Big 12 Coach of the Year after taking the Buffaloes to the regular-season conference championship.

 

Nebraska will open Big 12 Tournament play against Texas A&M Thursday at 1:30 p.m. in San Antonio, Texas.