SILOAM SPRINGS, Ark. -- John Brown University captured four major Sooner Athletic Conference women's soccer awards and placed eight student-athletes on the All-SAC teams, with senior Addie Craig earning Co-Offensive Player of the Year, junior Bella Mendieta claiming Defensive Player of the Year, freshman Ansley Fuchs securing Goalkeeper of the Year and first-year head coach Nathan Lowery receiving Coach of the Year honors.
The Golden Eagles placed five players on the All-SAC first team and three on the second after finishing the regular season 12-1-3 overall and 8-0-1 in league play, capturing their fourth consecutive SAC regular-season championship and 10th overall. John Brown produced 68 goals while conceding just 10 across 16 matches, securing the conference's No. 1 tournament seed.
Craig earned first-team recognition after delivering the most productive scoring season of her collegiate career, finishing with nine goals and three assists for 21 points while leading the Golden Eagles with four game-winning goals. The Highlands Ranch, Colo., native was particularly effective during conference play, recording seven goals and three assists, including a decisive two-match stretch against Central Christian (Kan.) and Mid-America Christian (Okla.) in which she totaled three goals, two assists and both match-winners. The eight-point week earned Craig her first career SAC Offensive Player of the Week honor.
Mendieta's first-team selection marked a promotion from her second-team recognition in 2025, while her Defensive Player of the Year award recognized a breakout campaign on both ends of the field. The Arlington, Tenn., native started all 16 regular-season matches along the back line, helping anchor one of the conference's stingiest defensive units while contributing three goals and six assists for 12 points. Her defining performance came Oct. 3 against Science & Arts (Okla.), when she scored the first two goals of her collegiate career, breaking a scoreless deadlock in the 54th minute before delivering the winner in the 76th to lift John Brown to a pivotal 2-1 conference victory. The performance also earned Mendieta her first career SAC Defensive Player of the Week award.
Fuchs made an immediate impact in her first collegiate season, starting all 16 matches between the posts and compiling a 12-1-3 record with nine clean sheets, a 0.63 goals-against average and a .800 save percentage. The Fairview, N.C., native recorded 40 saves while helping the Golden Eagles hold opponents to one goal or fewer in 14 of their 16 regular-season appearances. She twice earned SAC Defensive Player of the Week recognition, including following a 0-0 draw against No. 21 Columbia (Mo.) on Sept. 19 and a five-save shutout at Mid-America Christian on Oct. 10. Fuchs' selection also extends John Brown's run of SAC Goalkeeper of the Year awards to three consecutive seasons, following Marely Fonseca's back-to-back honors in 2024 and 2025.
Lowery collected Coach of the Year recognition in his debut season at the helm of the Golden Eagles, continuing the program's championship tradition following his March appointment as the fourth head coach in John Brown women's soccer history. After a season-opening setback against Benedictine (Kan.), Lowery guided the Blue and Gold through 15 consecutive unbeaten matches, including an undefeated nine-match conference slate.
Senior Julia Lambert added another milestone to her decorated career with a fourth consecutive First Team All-SAC selection, becoming the only Golden Eagle to earn first-team honors in each of the past four seasons. A two-time NAIA All-American, including a first-team selection in 2025, Lambert recorded six goals and an assist for 13 points across 11 regular-season appearances. She delivered two goals at Southwestern Christian (Okla.) before contributing a goal and an assist in John Brown's 5-1 championship-clinching victory over Oklahoma City on Oct. 27, bringing her career totals to 43 goals, 39 assists and 125 points through the regular season.
Sophomore Joy Long rounded out John Brown's first-team selections after establishing herself as the Golden Eagles' leading playmaker, producing three goals and a team-best nine assists for 15 points. The midfielder started all 16 regular-season matches and more than quadrupled her assist production from her freshman campaign, when she recorded two. Her service on set pieces helped generate scoring opportunities throughout conference play, including the corner-kick delivery that set up Mendieta's opening goal against Science & Arts.
The second team featured junior forward Katherine Keys, whose team-leading 10 goals included a hat trick in the Golden Eagles' regular-season finale against Oklahoma City. The Topeka, Kan., native scored on all three of her shots in the 5-1 victory, helping John Brown secure the outright league championship. Keys finished with 23 points on 10 goals and three assists, earned the third SAC Offensive Player of the Week award of her career following the performance, and collected her second All-SAC selection after previously earning second-team recognition in 2024.
Junior forward Tianna Jones earned second-team honors for a second consecutive season after leading John Brown with 24 points, combining eight goals and eight assists during the regular season. The Bentonville, Ark., native matched her career high with six points in a 5-1 victory over Nelson (Texas) on Oct. 17, scoring twice and adding two assists while directly contributing to each of the Golden Eagles' first four goals. The performance earned Jones her first career SAC Offensive Player of the Week award, and she later supplied two assists on Keys' hat trick in the regular-season finale.
Junior midfielder Caitlin Hilson completed the Golden Eagles' eight-player contingent, earning her second consecutive second-team selection after starting all 16 regular-season matches and contributing four goals and four assists. Her defensive presence was particularly evident in John Brown's 4-0 conference-opening victory over Texas Wesleyan on Sept. 26, when the Golden Eagles limited the Rams to a single shot and conceded no corner kicks. The performance earned Hilson the first SAC Defensive Player of the Week award of her career.
Across the past four seasons, John Brown has accumulated 30 All-SAC team selections, including 21 first-team honors, with at least seven Golden Eagles recognized each year. This season's five first-team selections represent the program's largest contingent since eight players earned the distinction in 2023.
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