Brunson named Player of the Year, Mannall selected as Coach of the Year
Kaitlyn Brunson was named the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference Player of the Year and Jon Mannall was selected as the league's Coach of the Year as the conference announced its postseason women's soccer awards.
Brunson, one of four Bees named to an all-conference team, became the first St. Ambrose women's soccer player to garner player of the year honors in the CCAC. She is the first Bee to earn conference player of the year recognition since Ashley Dexter won the honor in the Midwest Collegiate Conference (MCC) in 2013.
It's been a record-breaking season for St. Ambrose. The team won the CCAC regular season and tournament championships, the first time the program has won both in the same season since joining the league in 2015. SAU will return to the NAIA National Tournament for the first time since 2021. And the Bees will do so riding a 12-match winning streak, the longest in school history.
Brunson, a junior forward from Marion, Iowa, leads the conference with 15 goals and 35 points. Six of her goals have been game winners, which is eighth nationally. She is currently eighth in the CCAC with five assists.
Brunson was joined on the all-CCAC first team by Taylor DeSplinter and Adriane Latham. All three players also earned first-team recognition in 2022.
DeSplinter, a junior midfielder from Geneseo, Ill., has backed Brunson with six goals and a conference-leading 10 assists. She currently sits fifth in the CCAC with 22 points. DeSplinter earned second-team all-conference honors in 2021 making her one of just 27 Bees to be named to an all-conference team at least three times.
Latham, a senior defender from Eldridge, Iowa, has led a St. Ambrose defense that has allowed just 18 goals through 19 matches this season. Latham, named the CCAC Defensive Player of the Week on Oct. 16, has been credited with two assists this season.
Rachel Willette was the final Bee to be recognized by the CCAC. She earned second team honors for the second straight year. The senior goalkeeper from Thornton, Colo., has played every minute this season in net for the Bees. She has compiled a 15-4 record with seven shutouts while making 62 saves.
Mannall earned his sixth conference coach of the year award. He also earned the honor in the CCAC in 2015 and won it four times in the MCC (2007, 2008, 2009, 2013).