PROVO -- At the Mountain West Conference pre-championship banquet, four Cougars earned recognition from MWC coaches for their standout play during the 2004 conference season.
Taking home the top conference honor for a freshman was Erika Woodbury, who was named the MWC Freshman of the Year. Woodbury has posted a 1.09 goals-against average with 70 saves in 19 games this season.
Being recognized for their strong play on the field was junior Jaime Rendich and sophomore Claire Thomas, who were named to the first-team All-MWC after leading the Cougars to a 3-1-2 record and runner-up in the MWC regular season.
This is the first time that both Rendich and Thomas received the MWC honor. Rendich led the team with nine goals and scored the game-winning goal four times this season. Thomas has stood out defensively helping to contribute to the seven shutouts recorded by the Cougars.
Junior Charlene Lui and freshman Erika Woodbury garnered second-team All-MWC citations. It was the first honor for Woodbury and second for Lui, who was named to the second-team in 2002.
"I'm excited for some of our players to be recognized," said head coach Jennifer Rockwood. "I'm really proud of what they've been able to accomplish this season. It's an honor to their teammates as well."
BYU seeks to regain the MWC crown it lost last year to Utah, after winning the championship four consecutive years. The Cougars will battle the rest of the MWC in the conference tournament held Wednesday, Nov. 3, through Saturday, Nov. 6, at South Stadium in Provo, Utah.