Oct. 30, 2016 BIRMINGHAM, Ala. - Senior Casie Ramsier was named the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year to highlight a program-record seven Auburn players who earned all-conference accolades, announced by the league office on Sunday.
The seven honorees mark a new record for the Tigers in the annual postseason awards, besting the 2004 team's total of six.
Casie Ramsier becomes the first player in Auburn history to be a two-time recipient of the SEC Scholar-Athlete of the Year and has won the award in back-to-back seasons, something that has only been done three times in conference history.
The Dallas, Texas native boasts a 3.92 grade point average while working on a master's degree in Accountancy and already has a pair of bachelor's degrees in both Accounting and Finance. She's currently tied for first in program history in game-winning goals (11), third in career goals (32) and fifth in points (79).
Casie Ramsier was also named First Team All-SEC, along with teammates Kristen Dodson and Kiana Clarke. The trio headlined the top performers in the conference and mark just the second time in Auburn history that three players were tabbed to the league's top team.
Sarah Le Beau and Brooke Ramsier were selected Second Team All-SEC, while Bri Folds and Karli Gutsche earned spots on the All-Freshman Team.
In her final season, Casie Ramsier has secured 17 points by way of seven goals and three assists while constantly drawing two or even three defenders when she had the ball. The senior showed up when her team needed her the most as she netted four game-winning goals to captain the team to a program-record seven consecutive wins during conference play.
Dodson excelled in one of the top regular seasons by a player ever to don the orange and blue. Her point total of 29 currently stands as the fifth-highest mark in single-season history, while her five game-winning-goals match Casie Ramsier's total from 2015 and rank as the second-highest in the program record book. Dodson's goal count of 11, which stands in third among her peers in the conference, is positioned as the sixth-most in a season for Auburn.
Clarke, the leader along the back line, guided the Tigers to six shutouts, including three in SEC play. While holding the role of shutting down the opponent's top scorer throughout the season, Clarke paced the defense to allow just 1.04 goals per contest. That mark sits in a tie for sixth in program history with the 2006 team. The Davie, Fla. native played all but nine minutes during the regular season and was subbed out in just one match in 2016.
For the second-straight year, Le Beau garnered all-conference recognition as she earned a spot on the SEC's second team. In 18 matches between the posts, the Crystal Lake, Ill. native stopped 50 shots and boasted a 1.06 goals against average, which ranked fifth in the league. Le Beau was the key enforcer to six shutouts and held opponents to one goal or fewer in 12 matches, including eight in conference play.
Brooke Ramsier, a second-team honoree, tied for the team lead with seven assists and led the midfield in minutes played with 1,620. She found the back of the net four times, with all four of her goals coming from set pieces as she served as the team's primary free kick taker. The Dallas, Texas native cranked up her play in the second half of the season as she tallied at least one point in six of the team's final seven matches.
In their first years on the pitch, Folds and Gutsche flashed their brilliance en route to being named to the All-Freshman Team.
Folds put together the second-highest point total among freshmen in the league as she secured 13 points by way of three goals and seven assists. Her assist total led the conference among first-year players. The Lakeland, Fla. native was instrumental in the attack, especially in SEC play. She racked up 11 points in conference games, including seven in the final six matches.
Gutsche stepped into a defensive partnership with Clarke in the center of the defense that proved to be one of the league's stingiest duos. In matches when the freshman started, Auburn surrendered just 13 goals in 13 matches and boasted four shutouts. The Lithia, Fla. native even took scoring into her own hands as she headed home the eventual match-winner against Missouri in the 64th minute. Gutsche becomes the fifth defender in program history to be named to the conference's all-freshman squad and the first since Kala Faulker in 2012.
The Tigers open up postseason play at the SEC Tournament on Wednesday, Nov. 2 in Orange Beach, Ala. Auburn is slated to face the winner between Ole Miss and Tennessee at 12 p.m. on the SEC Network.
