Tech soccer captures eight OVC postseason honors to tie for most in the league
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Another year and another massive haul of Ohio Valley Conference postseason honors for the Tennessee Tech soccer team.
By Dylan Vazzano, TTU Sports Information
BRENTWOOD, Tenn. – Another year and another massive haul of Ohio Valley Conference postseason honors for the Tennessee Tech soccer team. Less than a week after claiming the program's first-ever OVC regular-season three-peat, the Golden Eagles secured eight different accolades to tie Lindenwood for the most postseason awards in the conference.
Neve Renwick headlined the list of distinction for the purple and gold with her recognition as the OVC Forward of the Year. The Sheffield, England native was also one of three Golden Eagles to take home All-OVC first-team recognition, joining Lucia Cuadra and Katie Toney on the distinguished list. Tech's three first-teamers were the most in the league.
Maggie Conrad and Meredith Nye collected All-OVC second-team nods to tie for the most second-team honors in the conference, while Cuadra and Skyler Williams picked up All-Newcomer accolades to round out Tech's impressive haul.
TTU's trio of first-teamers marked the first time in program history in which the Golden Eagles have placed three on the All-OVC first team in three straight seasons. Tech also extended their school record of now 10 consecutive years with at least one member on the first team.
A year after claiming the OVC Freshman of the Year, Renwick makes it a second-straight season in which a Golden Eagle was recognized as conference Forward of the Year after Katie Toney captured the honor in 2023. Renwick wrapped up the regular season with a league-leading 10 goals and 22 points in a season that saw her claim two OVC Offensive Player of the Week accolades.
The sophomore forward's 10 goals ties Robin Vince (2001) for the fifth-most scores in a single season in program history. Renwick also becomes the first OVC player since SIUE's MacKenzie Litzsinger in 2021 with double digit goals in one season. The second-year Golden Eagle ended the regular season with a conference-best 80 shots and 35 attempts on-goal. The 80 total tries are good enough for second-most in a single season in school history, trailing only Robyn Vince's 86 shots in 2002.
Katie Toney's second-straight year on the All-OVC first team is well warranted after the McMinnville, Tenn. product produced a stellar seven-goal, four-assist, 18-point regular season. Toney's seven goals were tied for third in the league, while her four assists were tied for seventh and 18 points were good enough for second in the OVC.
The junior forward proved to be clutch down the stretch for the purple and gold, tallying five goals, three assists and 13 points over the last eight matches of the regular season.
Lucia Cuadra spot on the All-OVC first team and All-Newcomer squad is well deserved after putting together an outstanding first season in purple and gold that saw the Barcelona, Spain native wrap up the regular season with a conference-leading nine assists, the most by any player in the OVC since Murray State's Abby Jones had 11 in 2019.
Cuadra's nine helpers ties Jill Burns (2003) and Kristin Stegeman (2000) for the second-most in a single season in school history. The graduate midfielder picked up all nine assists over the last eight matches of the regular season. Cuadra also found the back of the net three times this season with a goal at Southern Indiana on Oct. 6 and two scores against South Alabama on Sept. 8.
Meredith Nye's selection as an All-OVC second teamer is of historical nature as Nye becomes the first player in conference history to be named to an All-OVC squad in five separate seasons. The senior midfielder's fourth second-team nod comes on the heels of a regular season that saw her accumulate a club-leading 1,675 minutes, serving as a key piece of the Golden Eagle defensive puzzle. Nye started all 19 matches for the purple and gold, playing all 90 minutes in 17 of the 19 tilts. The Jackson, Tenn. product appeared in all but a possible 34 minutes on the pitch.
Offensively, Nye tallied a goal and an assist for a three-point performance. The fifth-year Golden Eagle collected the game-winning goal in Tech's first OVC victory of the season on Sept. 26 against SEMO.
Maggie Conrad captured her second career postseason accolade with a place on the All-OVC second team after the Cedar Rapids, Iowa native earned an All-Newcomer distinction in 2022. Conrad's regular-season resume featured 94 saves to rank second in the conference.
During league play, the 5-foot-7 junior posted a 0.59 goals against average and a .857 save percentage to rank among the OVC leaders in both departments. Conrad's four clean sheets during conference action tied her for second among league goalkeepers. The Golden Eagle junior also notched three penalty-kick denials, which included a dramatic PK stop in the final two minutes of an eventual 1-0 victory over Morehead State on Oct. 3 that helped play a pivotal role in Tech's third-consecutive Ohio Valley Conference regular-season crown.
Skylar Williams joined Cuadra as Tech's pair on OVC All-Newcomer team following a sturdy regular season that saw the Middle Tennessee transfer tie for third in the league with five assists. Williams also scored one goal for the Golden Eagles in 2024, a game-winning strike in a crucial conference triumph at UT Martin on Sept. 29.
The West River, Md. product appeared in all 19 matches in her first year in purple and gold, starting 14 of them in Tech's title-winning club.
As the top seed in the OVC Tournament for the third-straight season, TTU will host the semifinals and championship match at Tech Soccer Field for the third time in program history. The semis are set for Thursday, Nov. 7 and the championship clash is slated for Sunday, Nov. 10.
Photos by Jim Dillon
