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Photo by: Brad Rempel
Harper Named Big Ten Forward of the Year
11/1/2024 12:00:00 PM | Soccer
Five Gophers earned post season conference honors
MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. - Minnesota forward Khyah Harper was named Big Ten Forward of the Year, highlighting five Gophers that received Big Ten awards, the conference announced on Friday.Â
Harper and graduate Sophia Boman were All-Big Ten First Team selections.Â
Sophomore Paige Kalal grabbed a spot on the All-Big Ten Second Team, while Ashley Thurk was placed on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team and senior Elizabeth Overberg was Minnesota's Big Ten All-Sportsmanship honoree.
Harper is the first Gopher to win Big Ten Forward of the Year since April Bockin (2018) and is the third to earn the honor in Minnesota history. This season the forward has made her mark in the 'U's' record book as she ranks third in single-season goals (17), first in game-winning goals (6) and fifth in points (40).
The Lino Lakes, Minn., native leads the nation in points per game (2.22) and total points (40). She also led the country in goals scored for the majority of the season, and currently sits in second. Harper is atop the Big Ten and ranks second nationally in both goals and goals per game (0.94). Notably, she is the first Gopher to score three hat tricks in a season.
For the fifth consecutive season, Boman has earned All-Big Ten honors. The defensive midfielder earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week accolades this season after scoring the game-winning goal over No. 11 Iowa.Â
Boman has totaled 7,451:32 minutes in her career as a Gopher. Currently, the midfielder has 29 consecutive matches (dating back to last season) that she has competed for a full 90 minutes. The captain has started all 83 matches since her freshman year and has competed in every game fully except for nine. In total, Boman has only missed 154 minutes on the field.
Kalal earned a spot among the Big Ten's best for the first time in her career. The Brooklyn Park, Minn., native sits second in the conference and ninth in the country in assists (9). Kalal ranks second on Minnesota's squad in points with 13. Last week against Iowa, the midfielder scored the game-tying goal against the 11th-ranked Hawkeyes.Â
After starting and competing in all of Minnesota's games this season, Thurk was recognized to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team. This season, Thurk has competed for 1,609 minutes, missing only 11 minutes of play the entire season. The defender has one assist on the season.
In representing the Gophers for their Sportsmanship Award honoree, Overberg caps off her senior season with a well-deserved award from the conference. The captain has started and played every minute this season for Minnesota in the backline. Overberg assisted one of Harper's goals against Army West Point in September.
Complete List of Minnesota's 2024 Big Ten Individual Awards
Khyah Harper: Big Ten Forward of the Year, First Team All-Big Ten, Forward
Sophia Boman: First Team All-Big Ten, Midfielder
Paige Kalal: Second Team All-Big Ten, Midfielder
Ashley Thurk: Big Ten All-Freshman Team, Defender
Elizabeth Overberg: Sportsmanship Award Honoree , Defender
Harper and graduate Sophia Boman were All-Big Ten First Team selections.Â
Sophomore Paige Kalal grabbed a spot on the All-Big Ten Second Team, while Ashley Thurk was placed on the Big Ten All-Freshman Team and senior Elizabeth Overberg was Minnesota's Big Ten All-Sportsmanship honoree.
Harper is the first Gopher to win Big Ten Forward of the Year since April Bockin (2018) and is the third to earn the honor in Minnesota history. This season the forward has made her mark in the 'U's' record book as she ranks third in single-season goals (17), first in game-winning goals (6) and fifth in points (40).
The Lino Lakes, Minn., native leads the nation in points per game (2.22) and total points (40). She also led the country in goals scored for the majority of the season, and currently sits in second. Harper is atop the Big Ten and ranks second nationally in both goals and goals per game (0.94). Notably, she is the first Gopher to score three hat tricks in a season.
For the fifth consecutive season, Boman has earned All-Big Ten honors. The defensive midfielder earned Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week accolades this season after scoring the game-winning goal over No. 11 Iowa.Â
Boman has totaled 7,451:32 minutes in her career as a Gopher. Currently, the midfielder has 29 consecutive matches (dating back to last season) that she has competed for a full 90 minutes. The captain has started all 83 matches since her freshman year and has competed in every game fully except for nine. In total, Boman has only missed 154 minutes on the field.
Kalal earned a spot among the Big Ten's best for the first time in her career. The Brooklyn Park, Minn., native sits second in the conference and ninth in the country in assists (9). Kalal ranks second on Minnesota's squad in points with 13. Last week against Iowa, the midfielder scored the game-tying goal against the 11th-ranked Hawkeyes.Â
After starting and competing in all of Minnesota's games this season, Thurk was recognized to the All-Big Ten Freshman Team. This season, Thurk has competed for 1,609 minutes, missing only 11 minutes of play the entire season. The defender has one assist on the season.
In representing the Gophers for their Sportsmanship Award honoree, Overberg caps off her senior season with a well-deserved award from the conference. The captain has started and played every minute this season for Minnesota in the backline. Overberg assisted one of Harper's goals against Army West Point in September.
Complete List of Minnesota's 2024 Big Ten Individual Awards
Khyah Harper: Big Ten Forward of the Year, First Team All-Big Ten, Forward
Sophia Boman: First Team All-Big Ten, Midfielder
Paige Kalal: Second Team All-Big Ten, Midfielder
Ashley Thurk: Big Ten All-Freshman Team, Defender
Elizabeth Overberg: Sportsmanship Award Honoree , Defender
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