By Jim Fryar

jfryar@joplinglobe.com

Nikki Llewellyn is MSSU's first All-America women's soccer player.

It could be the start of a trend, coach Trevor Wachsman said.

"Nikki is a talented and intelligent player and this honor is a reflection of her teammates' efforts as well," Wachsman said. "We have a lot of gifted student-athletes and hopefully, Nikki will just be the first of many All-Americans at Missouri Southern."

Her Lion teammates deserve plenty of credit for the award, Llewellyn emphasized.

"Some of the goals I scored, I would be just in the middle and the balls that we given to me were unbelievable," Llewellyn said. "I think there are other girls on the team who deserve this just as much as I do."

Llewellyn, from O'Fallon, Mo., was a second-team selection by the National Soccer Coaches Association of America (NSCAA).

The honor was a complete shock, she said. "I wasn't expecting it at all."

She led the Lions in both goals (six) and assists (five) during her sophomore season. She helped spark Missouri Southern to its first NCAA Division II postseason appearance.

The Lions had an 11-4-5 record and placed second in the MIAA at 9-2-3.

After just two seasons, Llewellyn ranks third on the Southern career goal-scoring charts (20) and fourth in career points (47). She was an all-MIAA selection after winning MVP honors as a freshman, and was an all-Central Region player.

"Last year, she had a ton of offense. She scored a lot of goals," Wachsman said. "But I really believe that, as with many of our other players, she probably played better overall soccer this year than as a freshman. ... She had more assists. Defensively, she also improved.

"I really think that recognition is a reflection of not just herself, but her teammates," Wachsman continued. "We have a lot of great players on the team. If we continue to do well as a team, we have players of a caliber that we may see other names on that All-American list at some point."

Llewellyn was equally strong in the classroom. She has a 3.9 grade-point average in accounting.