KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association has announced new women’s soccer athletes of the week for week eight of the 2026 season. Washburn’s Lindsey Maul earned the Ichabods’ first Defender of the Week honor this season, and Central Missouri claimed the remaining weekly honors with Coryn Jespersen named the Offensive Athlete of the Week and Kristen Wright the Goalkeeper of the Week.
 
 OFFENSIVE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK:  Coryn Jespersen, Central Missouri
Coryn Jespersen helped No. 25-ranked Central Missouri to a pair of MIAA wins last week, including a 3-0 shutout at Rogers State last Friday (Oct. 16) and a 1-0 shutout triumph over Emporia State last Sunday (Oct. 18) in Warrensburg. The sophomore midfielder contributed to the Jennies offense in both matches, first netting what proved to be the game-winning goal just 41 seconds into Friday’s 3-0 win over the Hillcats in Oklahoma. She then dished out the game-winning assist on Mikayla Ernst's second-half goal in UCM’s 1-0 win over the Hornets on Sunday. Her assist against Emporia was her team-high and MIAA-leading 12th assist of the season. Jespersen is only four assists from tying the UCM and MIAA single-season assist record of 16, set by former Jennie Kassie Newsom in the 2021 season. This is Jespersen’s third MIAA Offensive Athlete of the Week award this season, previously earning the honor in weeks three and five.
 
 DEFENDER OF THE WEEK:  Lindsey Maul, Washburn
Lindsey Maul was a key player in a pair of wins for No. 19 Washburn last week, defeating Central Oklahoma 1-0 on Friday (Oct. 16) and Northeastern State 3-1 on Sunday (Oct. 18) at home in Topeka. Maul and the Ichobods’ defense held opponents to only eight shots on goal during the week. The senior defender also recorded her first assist of the season on Sunday against the RiverHawks and recorded nearly 130 minutes over the weekend. She is the third Ichabod to earn an MIAA Athlete of the Week award this season but the first to be named the Defender of the Week. 

 GOALKEEPER OF THE WEEK:  Kristen Wright, Central Missouri       
Kristen Wright led the No. 25-ranked Jennies to a pair of MIAA shutout victories between the posts last week. The senior keeper faced only four shots and recorded two saves in Central Missouri’s 3-0 win at Rogers State on Friday (Oct. 16) before making four stops in goal in Sunday's (Oct. 18) 1-0 victory over Emporia State at home. Wright now has eight solo shutouts and a .902 save percentage on the season and ranks second in the league in both categories. This is Wright's second MIAA Goalkeeper of the Week award this season, previously earning the honor the first week of the 2026 season. 

OTHER NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
Peyton Pipes, Emporia State
Peyton Pipes led the Hornets offensively and defensively last week as Emporia State went 1-1 against MIAA opponents. The senior center back played all but four minutes for the Hornets last week and doubled her goal tally for the season. In the Hornets’ 3-2 win over Missouri Southern in Emporia last Friday (Oct. 16), Pipes scored on a corner kick taken in the 24th minute, then converted a penalty kick in the 30th minute, which proved to be the game-winning goal of the match. In Sunday’s 1-0 loss to No. 25 Central Missouri, Pipes and the Hornets defense held the ranked Jennies to just six shots on goal.
 
Avery McCorry, Washburn
Avery McCorry led the Ichabods’ offense through an undefeated week with MIAA wins over Northeastern State and Central Oklahoma. The freshman forward recorded a pair of goals to help lead No. 19 Washburn to a 3-1 win over the RiverHawks in Tahlequah this past Sunday (Oct. 18). She also led the Ichabods with four shots in Washburn’s 1-0 shutout of the Bronchos in Edmond on Friday (Oct. 16). McCorry recorded six shots and four shots on goal in two matches over the weekend. She currently leads the MIAA with 10 goals scored this season. 
 
Annabella Trotter, Northeastern State
Annabella Trotter led all MIAA scorers in Week Eight with two goals and two assists, despite the RiverHawks suffering back-to-back losses. The junior forward assisted Northeastern State’s first goal against Newman and then scored one of her own, unassisted, to give the RiverHawks a 2-1 lead into the half. She recorded her second assist of the match on NSU’s game-tying goal in the 70th minute, as the Jets went on to win 4-3 in Wichita. Trotter also scored the RiverHawks’ lone goal in the 3-1 loss to No. 19 Washburn in Topeka. She’s currently tied for fourth in the MIAA with 17 points this season (six goals, five assists).
 
Emma Cook, Northwest Missouri
Emma Cook and the Bearcat defense helped limit the opposition to one goal in two matches as Northwest Missouri split its week of MIAA matches. The junior defender went 8-for-8 in defensive duals won in the two matches. Cook helped the Bearcats hold No. 8 Pitt State to just one goal in the 1-0 loss to the ranked Gorillas last Thursday (Oct. 15) in Pittsburg. She then assisted the Bearcats’ game-winning goal in the 2-0 shutout of Fort Hays State in Hays on Sunday (Oct. 18).
 
Jocelyn Kramer, Pittsburg State
Jocelyn Kramer helped the No. 8-ranked Gorillas pick up a pair of 1-0 wins at home against Northwest Missouri (Oct. 15) and Missouri Western (Oct. 18) last week. The shutouts were the Gorillas’ 14th and 15th shutouts of the season and an MIAA-leading 10th solo shutout for the junior keeper from Fort Collins, Colo. Kramer currently leads the MIAA and all of NCAA Division II in GAA (0.07) and save percentage (.971). In over 1,300 minutes played this season, Kramer has claimed 33 saves and allowed one goal.

ALSO NOMINATED:
OFFENSE –  Khari Carreno [Rogers State], Iveta Stefancinova [Newman], Kendall Knisley [Missouri Western], Presley Whitmire [Missouri Southern]
DEFENDERS –  Sydney Puetz [Missouri Western], Kelsey Hogan [Rogers State]
GOALKEEPERS –  Taryn Lewis [Northwest Missouri], Calais Butts [Rogers State], Morgan Byrd [Missouri Western]
 

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WEEK ONE:
Offensive – Ryann Caruth, Pittsburg State
Defender – Sarah Peyton Webb, Pittsburg State
Goalkeeper – Kristen Wright, Central Missouri   
 
WEEK TWO:
Offensive – Leah Henke, Washburn
Defender – Cadence Dobberstein, Missouri Western
Goalkeeper – Jocelyn Kramar, Pittsburg State   
 
WEEK THREE:
Offensive – Coryn Jespersen, Central Missouri
Defender – Kaitlyn Cotton, Central Oklahoma
Goalkeeper – Lili Everley, Washburn    
 
WEEK FOUR:
Offensive – Ella Favot, Emporia State
Defender – Marielle Wright, Missouri Western
Goalkeeper – Calais Butts, Rogers State    
 
WEEK FIVE:
Offensive – Coryn Jespersen, Central Missouri
Defender – Kaitlyn Cotton, Central Oklahoma
Goalkeeper – Bella Smith, Missouri Southern     
 
WEEK SIX:
Offensive – Mikayla Ernst, Central Missouri
Defender – Sophia Gaskins, Central Oklahoma
Goalkeeper – Jocelyn Kramar, Pittsburg State     
 
WEEK SEVEN:
Offensive – Ella Favot, Emporia State
Defender – Anjaleena Gomez, Fort Hays State
Goalkeeper – Katie Stoskopf, Fort Hays State     
 
WEEK EIGHT:
Offensive – Coryn Jespersen, Central Missouri
Defender – Lindsey Maul, Washburn
Goalkeeper – Kristen Wright, Central Missouri