Pacer Athletics – 2011 Fall in Review
Fall 2011 USC Aiken Athletic Award Winners - Click Link to Access
Men’s Soccer
The University of South Carolina Aiken men’s soccer team concluded its 2011 season with a record of 3-10-4 under 16th-year head mentor Ike Ofoje. The Pacers owned a record of 1-5-2 in Peach Belt Conference action.
The Pacers began the 2011 year by winning two of their first four games, besting Pfeiffer and Brevard in the process.
The strong start would then lead to three straight losses, but the Pacers began their best stretch of the 2011 season on Sept. 24 with a 1-1 double overtime tie with Lenoir-Rhyne.
The tie with Lenoir-Rhyne was part of a stretch that saw USC Aiken acquire a positive result in four of its next five games. The impressive stretch included a 1-0 home Peach Belt Conference win over Georgia Southwestern at the “Pacer Pit” on Oct. 8.
USC Aiken would then close out the year with one positive result in its last five outings.
The Pacers finished the regular season eighth in the Peach Belt Conference. USC Aiken lost to eventual Peach Belt Conference Tournament champion and NCAA Elite Eight participant Flagler in the first round of the conference championship. USC Aiken’s Troy Watson was named to the 2011 Peach Belt Conference Men’s Soccer All-Tournament Team.
Numerous Pacers received acclaim for their efforts on the pitch in the 2011 season with Chinedu Arinze claiming the majority of the accolades.
Arinze was chosen to the Peach Belt Conference All-Conference First-Team, the Peach Belt Conference Men’s Soccer All-Academic Team and the Daktronics NCAA Division II Men’s Soccer All-Southeast Region Team.
Arinze was one of five Pacers named to the Peach Belt Conference Men’s Soccer All-Academic Team, joining Scott Berry, Michael Poole, Jack Reynolds and Kofi Trim. Schevon Joseph was named Honorable Mention.
Berry was also selected to the Capital One Academic NCAA Division II Men’s Soccer District Three First-Team for his efforts in the classroom and on the playing field.
Women’s Soccer
The University of South Carolina Aiken women’s soccer team ended its 2011 campaign with a record of 4-12 under seventh-year head coach Sue Vodicka. USC Aiken was 1-9 in Peach Belt Conference play.
USC Aiken started the year off to its best start since the 2005 season with a perfect 3-0 record.
The Pacers opened the year with a thrilling 1-0 overtime win over Coker in Hartsville, S.C. on Sept. 1. USC Aiken then proceeded to best Newberry and Brevard in consecutive games.
Pacer goalkeeper Alli Edens was named the Peach Belt Conference Goalkeeper of the Week on Sept. 7. The honor marked the first time that a Pacer women’s soccer goalkeeper had acquired the prestigious honor.
The win over Brevard on Sept. 7 gave way to a stretch that would see USC Aiken lose its next six games.
The Pacers snapped their six-game slide by beating Georgia Southwestern, 1-0, at the “Pacer Pit” on Oct. 8.
The victory over Georgia Southwestern would prove to be the final one of the year for USC Aiken as they finished the 2011 season with six straight defeats.
USC Aiken junior defender Emily Dodd was tabbed to the 2011 Peach Belt Conference Women’s Soccer All-Academic Team at the conclusion of the year. Dodd was one of five Pacers noted as Paige Busby, Edens, Kyle Maguire and Jordan Ziegler were Honorable Mention selections.
Cross Country
The University of South Carolina Aiken women’s cross country team put together a strong season under first-year head coach Kara Kreutzer.
The Pacers competed in seven meets in total in the 2011 season. They also played host to the Second Annual Bridgestone-Pacer Invitational and the Peach Belt Conference Cross Country Championships for the first time.
USC Aiken’s best team finish on the year came in the Gamecock Invitational. The Pacers finished second among all of the Division II teams in the Gamecock Invitational.
The Pacers finished eighth as a team at the 2011 Peach Belt Conference Women’s Cross Country Championship on Oct. 22.
Keely Gillespie continued her assault on the Pacer cross country record books in the 2011 season. Gillespie finished the year at the NCAA Division II Southeast Regional by claiming the top 6K time in school history with a time of 23:42.8. Gillespie will begin her junior season in 2012 owning two of the top three 6K times in school history. She also owns the top 5K time in school history with a time of 19:34.
Gillespie concluded the Peach Belt Conference Women’s Cross Country Championship in 14th place to obtain All-Conference accolades for the second straight year.
Cassey Lloyd was named to the 2011 Peach Belt Conference Women’s Cross Country All-Academic Team.
Volleyball
The University of South Carolina Aiken volleyball team under the direction of fourth-year head coach Glenn Cox finished its 2011 season with a record of 15-16. The Pacers finished tied for third in the Peach Belt Conference during the regular season with a record of 7-7.
USC Aiken commenced the 2011 season by going 4-4 in its first eight matches. The start included USC Aiken finishing the 2011 USC Aiken Volleyball Invitational with a 3-1 record. USC Aiken’s Endea Ellison and Claire Patten were named to the 2011 USC Aiken Volleyball Invitational All-Tournament Team.
The Pacers bested West Georgia in their next match to move above .500 at 5-4, but the win over the Wolves gave way to a season-long five-match losing streak.
USC Aiken then proceeded to rattle off 10 victories in their next 14 matches to improve to 15-13 and return to the national discussion.
The strong run would catapult the Pacers into the NCAA Division II Southeast Region Rankings at No. 10. USC Aiken would hold down the 10th spot in the region poll for the rest of the regular season.
USC Aiken concluded its year by losing its final three matches to just miss out on a spot in the NCAA Tournament. The fourth seed in the 2011 Peach Belt Conference Volleyball Championship, USC Aiken lost a heartbreaker, 3-2, to rival Augusta State in the tournament quarterfinals.
Shannon Byers and Samantha Lukralle both received All-Peach Belt Conference accolades at the conclusion of the season.
The award was one of three for Lukralle. She was also chosen to the Capital One Academic NCAA Division II Women’s Volleyball District Three First-Team and the Peach Belt Conference Volleyball All-Academic Team.
Lukralle was one of four Pacers placed on the Peach Belt Conference Volleyball All-Academic Team with Ashley Farwell, Chelsey Kight and Patten also earning spots on the team. Ellison and Emily Maassen were named Honorable Mention.
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