HSU Coach And Six Cowgirls Claim All-Region Honors
By: Chad Grubbs, HSU Sports Information
Updated: December 5, 2012
Senior forward Katie Kuykendall, junior defender Courtney Cramer and junior midfielders Devon Howard and Taylor Thigpen were all named first-team all-region.
Kuykendall led the team in scoring with 12 goals and 23 assists and Cramer led the team in goals with 14 goals (13 on corner kicks) and led a stingy defense that allowed only eight goals on the season.
Howard had 10 goals and 18 assists and Thigpen scored nine goals with six assists.
Sophomore Shannon Byrd was named to the second team as a midfielder and freshman Lexi Stinson was named to the third team as a goalkeeper.
The Cowgirls went 18-1-2, advanced to the sectional round of the NCAAs and won their 10th straight American Southwest Conference title. HSU finished the season ranked seventh nationally by the NSCAA and fourth nationally by D3soocer.com.
Hardin-Simmons' women's soccer coach Marcus Wood has been named the 2012 West Region Division III Women's Coach of the Year by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America.
It is the fourth time that Wood has been named the region coach of the year, the last time coming in 2010 when he was also named the national coach of the year.
"These awards are always special because they are voted on by your peers," said Wood. "Great players make a successful coach and I am blessed to have a lot of great players that are even better people to coach every day. This award is about them."
Wood's team won its 10th straight American Southwest Conference title and extended its unbeaten streak in conference play to 157 straight games.
In his career, Wood is now 236-27-21 in his career and ranks third all-time in all NCAA levels with an .865 winning percentage.






