Reign Earn First All Conference Nomination
Defender Grace Winegar earns nod to Heartland Conference Best XI - 2024
Quinn Walker
August 20, 2024 at 8:00:00 PM
Defender Grace Winegar earns nod to Heartland Conference Best XI - 2024
For the first time in the history of the club, either under the AFC or the Reign moniker, a player from Central Missouri has made the Best XI in the Heartland Conference of the Women's Premier Soccer League. The Best XI is selected for each conference across the WPSL, selecting the top eleven players out of all the teams in the conference. The Heartland is regarded as one of the most competitive and talented conferences across the league, especially in the Central Region.
"When I called and let Grace know she made the Best XI, one of her immediate responses was 'I haven't received an award like this in my career". Head Coach Dakota Acock said, "Which to me is truly insane, because the quality of play and leadership she brought to our back line was key this year and how talented of a player she is."
He continued "It is a team accomplishment to get one of our players selected. We had success this year, but we had a lot of learning to do and had some difficult lessons along the way. Though we didn't win every game, we were competitive in all our matches and our defending was a huge part of that, we wanted to make sure other teams found it difficult to score on us,. Grace played a crucial role in this, so its great for her and great for our team. Added to that, she was able to create some getting up the field, and finding a goal, so overall a solid season for her."
Grace will be entering her fifth year at Columbia College this fall, one of the top ranked teams in the NAIA. No doubt some of her success this summer will continue there. After that, her plans are in the open as she transitions out of the life of a collegiate athlete. There will be success wherever she goes, thought the Reign staff hopes that at least one more season with Grace is in the books.
:"Every year there will be turnover, every year there are players who graduate and life takes them in a different direction, away from the field. No doubt we would love to have Grace back, build off the success from our inaugural year. But if this is part of the end for her playing with us, we were extremely grateful to have her and are very pleased she was nominated." - Coach Dakota