FRISCO, Texas — Northwestern State senior defender Jessica Spitzer has been named the 2025 Southland Women's Soccer Student Athlete of the Year, the conference office announced Monday in coordination with the Women's Soccer All-Academic Team.
Spitzer claims Student Athlete of the Year honors and an All-Academic selection with a 4.00 GPA as a Biology and Applied Microbiology double major. The senior from Allen, Texas, was the Southland's Defender of the Year, earning a spot on the All-Conference First Team. She played every minute in 19 of the Demons' 21 games this season, helping lead Northwestern State to a Southland Regular Season title.
Southland Conference All-Academic Teams and Student-Athlete of the Year are voted upon by the head coach, sports information director and an academic/compliance staff member from each school. Voting for one’s own athletes is not permitted.
To be eligible for all-academic distinction, an athlete must hold a minimum 3.25 cumulative grade point average in the semester of the sport’s championship at the nominating school, and participated in at least 50 percent of the team’s competitions during the most recently completed season. Student-Athlete of the Year nominees must have held at least a 3.50 GPA and have completed at least two years of athletic competition at the nominating school, including the current season.
First Team All-Conference athletes who meet all-academic nomination criteria are automatically named all-academic.
STUDENT-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Jessica Spitzer, Northwestern State, Sr., 4.00 GPA, Biology and Microbiology Double Major
ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
EAST TEXAS A&M
Kristen Sueltz, Sr., 3.75 GPA, Public Health
Trinity Egerton, Gr. 4.00 GPA, Marketing and Marketing Analytics
Payton Joost, Gr. 3.83 GPA, Marketing and Marketing Analytics
Kelsey Lefever, Fr. 4.00 GPA, Industrial Engineering
Malaya Ring, So., 3.55 GPA, Business Administration
HCU
Olivia Rossman, Jr. 3.93 GPA, Business Administration
Danika Etter, Sr., 3.83 GPA, Business Adminstration
Brynn Dunbar, Sr., 3.92 GPA, Kinesiology
Zylee Dominguez, So., 3.95 GPA, Graphic Design
Alexia Murillo, Sr., 3.77 GPA, Kinesiology
UIW
Melissa Bailey, Sr., 3.74 GPA, Kinesiology
Taylor Kish, Jr., 3.83 GPA, General Business
Alex Knutson, Jr., 3.68 GPA, Finance
Atiana Lara, Fr., 3.80 GPA, Biology
Kiana Villa, Jr., 3.80 GPA, Kinesiology
LAMAR
Sydney Williams, So., 3.83 GPA, Univ. Studies - Health Sciences
Cena Carlson, So., 4.00 GPA, Biology
Marissa Gross, Jr. 3.83 GPA, Univ. Studies
Annika Kassenbrock, Sr., 3.47 GPA, Exercise Science
Katherine Williams, Sr., 3.66 GPA, Accounting
McNEESE
Rhiannon Maynes-Tourond, Fr., 4.00 GPA, Kinesiology
Rebecca Romero, Jr., 3.60 GPA, Biology
NICHOLLS
Kaylie Harris, So., 3.35 GPA, Nursing
Lillie Mazur, Sr., 3.86 GPA, Health Science
Avery Mondoux, Sr., 3.82 GPA, Interdisciplinary Studies
Mylea Riggle, So., 4.00 GPA, Chemistry
Sara Sigurdsson, Sr., 3.89 GPA, Biology
NORTHWESTERN STATE
*Jessica Spitzer, Sr., 4.00 GPA, Biology and Microbiology
Emily Senatore, Jr., 3.27 GPA, Health and Exercise Science
Paige Baumgartner, R Jr., 3.73 GPA, Business Administration
Riley Stern, R Jr., 3.97 GPA, Health and Exercise Science
Kennedy Rist, R Jr., 3.86 GPA, Biology
SOUTHEASTERN
Kendall Curran, Jr., 3.83 GPA, Kinesiology
Alex Knight, Fr., 4.00 GPA, Nursing
Aja Nelson, Fr., 4.00 GPA, Nursing
Emma Ramsey, Sr., 3.74 GPA, Health Sciences
Rylee Franklin, Sr., 3.50 GPA, Communication Sciences and Disorders
SFA
Brielle Buchanan, Jr., 4.00 GPA, Marketing
Sierra McCluer, So., 3.80 GPA, Biology
Bryn Geppert, So., 3.60 GPA, Kinesiology
Sawyer Kohutek, So., 3.51 GPA, Biology
Avery Brandt, Sr., 3.64 GPA, Nursing
TEXAS A&M-CORPUS CHRISTI
Mai-Lisa Atis, Sr., 3.79 GPA, Computer Science
Myjoi Anderson, Fr., 3.73 GPA, Kinesiology
Emmie Barton, Jr., 3.71 GPA, Civil Engineering
Dakota Merino, So., 3.60 GPA, Psychology
Morgan Westbury, Sr., 3.38 GPA, Kinesiology
UTRGV
Linnea Eld, Jr., 3.92 GPA, Marketing
Savannah Frisby, Gr., 3.75 GPA, Marketing
Lisa Elowsson, So., 3.78 GPA, Kinesiology
Libbie Mayfield, Sr. 3.68 GPA, Biology
Abbie Bailey, Gr., 3.61 GPA, Communication Studies