Gator Sammy Hilliard receives honors for strong play for the Lady Railsplitters.

HARROGATE, TN -- The Lincoln Memorial University women's soccer team and head coach Helio D'Anna put the 2011 season to bed with the presentation of five awards at the LMU Athletics Banquet on Wednesday evening. That night serves as the annual celebration of the year in Railsplitter athletics.

This season, the Lady Railsplitters finished with an 8-8-2 overall mark and a 4-4-1 record in the South Atlantic Conference, which garnered a six-seed. LMU fell in the opening pairing to Newberry College to close their season. The first award was the Coaches Award, a distinction that went to Michelle Allen. In her first season at LMU, the Cove, Utah native was a strong component of the season that was for LMU. She played in all 18 games, starting 15, and recorded four points and two goals. She logged 1,043 minutes and 18 shots on goal.

The Rookie of the Year Award went to Samantha Hilliard, a 5'5" defender out of Sterling Heights, Michigan. Hilliard was a mainstay on the defense for the Lady Railsplitters as she compiled 13 starts in 17 appearances with 1,429 minutes played.

The Defensive Player of the Year honor went to Teresa Doyle, a 5'4" sophomore out of Severn, Maryland. Doyle started and played in every game for the Lady Railsplitters while leading the way with 1,682 minutes logged. She recorded a single shot on goal. Abby Yother was presented with the Most Improved Player distinction. The sophomore out of Cookeville, Tennessee made tremendous strides this season as she appeared in 14 games and logged 298 minutes of game action. She added an assist and four shots on goal to her resume this season.

The Most Valuable Player honor was given to senior Leanne Reid, who once again put up big numbers for the Lady Railsplitters. She played and started in all 18 games for LMU, compiling two goals and three assists with a team-high 29 shots on goal. For her efforts, Reid was named All-SAC First Team and NSCAA All-Southeast Region Second Team. For her career, the Aberdeen, Scotland native ranks second all-time at LMU with 113 shots on goal, third all-time in minutes played with 5,262, and seventh in game-winning goals with eight.

Coach D'Anna also said goodbye to his five seniors, Samantha Meek, Leanne Reid, Sarah Taylor, Sydni Bailey and Jessica Meyer, as these ladies have left an everlasting legacy at LMU.

Parents,

We understand there are rumors of a pending merger with another club.

Despite what you've heard, it is not true. The Gator/Nova club is simply developing a working relationship with said club, allowing opportunities for east side families to enjoy our camp and the talents of our coaching staff.

Like our arrangements with the PSG North club, and the Phoenix soccer club in Fenton, all entities will remain separate. Players will or can be shared at the discretion of club owners and based upon the players'/parents' interest.

As always, we appreciate your continued commitment to the Premier Soccer Group and its mission.

Thank you.

The Premier Soccer Group

      Though we have eight State Cups, we don't measure our success by how many times we win trophies. We can say this openly without diminishing the achievements of our players and parents, since they've all heard our mantra a million times. They know we're more focused on placing our players at top universities and colleges throughout the land, a preference that is noted and appreciated by the 89 families currently enjoying the game past high school.
      Right from the creation of the club, Jeff Hodgson made it known that the real prize for a travel soccer player was to receive a scholarship. Never did he realize that his principled stance would lead to a record number of players involved in the college game. Nor did he know that so many would earn accolades reserved for the top players in the land. We have Gators who have earned a lofty status, players that are All-Americans, USA National players, and Conference players of the year. Looking back, Hodgson credits this success with the Gator and Nova staff's ability to technically train our players at the early ages. "Once they're in college, and fully mature, their natural talent along with their skills training really shines. It all comes to fruition; and at that level, the Gator player is clearly the best player on the field," stated Hodgson in a recent interview.
      While doing all this, the Premier Soccer Group of Gator and Nova players has created a family friendly environment. This is not a big-business club where players are cast away as soon as a new group is recruited. No other club makes playing the game as much fun as we do for the kids. From our Youth Academy to our State Cup champions, every player is known to the staff, and every player's value is appreciated.
      So come join our Club. For over ten years, we've provided the best technical training at an affordable price for our customers. Take advantage of our unique training methods and watch your son or daughter flourish in the game. Let's make them the next great Gator/Nova player to move on to the next level!