KANSAS CITY, Mo. – The Mid-America Intercollegiate Athletics Association has announced its first athletes of the week in the 2026 women’s soccer season. Pittsburg State’s Ryann Caruth and Sarah Peyton Webb were named the season’s first Offensive Athlete of the Week and Defender of the Week, while Central Missouri’s Kristen Wright was honored as the first Goalkeeper of the Week.
OFFENSIVE ATHLETE OF THE WEEK: Ryann Caruth, Pittsburg State
Ryann Caruth helped the defending MIAA champions to a pair of season-opening shutouts at home against No. 9 Missouri-St. Louis (5-0) and East Central (6-0). The senior forward finished opening weekend by scoring three goals in two matches after scoring no goals in her 48 prior collegiate games. The Broken Arrow, Okla., native scored her first goal on her very first shot in the 2026 season, finding the back of the net at only the 1:20 mark against No. 9-ranked Missouri-St. Louis last Thursday (Aug. 27). She also added a second-half assist against UMSL to become the third Gorilla in the program's young history to record five or more assists in a career. In the Gorillas’ 6-0 win over East Central, Caruth scored the first goal of the match at 7:37 and the final goal of the match at 68:11. For the week, Caruth totaled 91 minutes of action, fired off five shots with each shot on goal finding the back of the net, and notched game-winning goals in each match to begin the season.
DEFENDER OF THE WEEK: Sarah Peyton Webb, Pittsburg State
Sarah Peyton Webb helped the Gorillas to a pair of shutouts against No. 9-ranked Missouri-St. Louis (5-0) and East Central (6-0) at home to begin the 2026 season. The redshirt junior defender from Prosper, Texas, also provided three assists across Pitt State’s 11 goals scored. Webb recorded her first assist on the Gorillas’ second goal scored against UMSL and assisted on the first two goals scored against East Central.
GOALKEEPER OF THE WEEK: Kristen Wright, Central Missouri
Kristen Wright was the only MIAA goalkeeper to play all 180 minutes of the first two matches in the 2026 season without allowing a single goal. The senior keeper faced 10 shots and made two saves while helping the Jennies to a pair of season-opening shutouts against Missouri S&T (1-0) and Drury (1-0).
OTHER NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
Leah Henke, Washburn
Leah Henke totaled five points and tied for an MIAA-leading nine shots as the No. 4-ranked Ichabods went 1-0-1 over opening weekend. Washburn opened the 2026 season with a 4-0 shutout of No. 19-ranked Maryville. Henke scored a pair of goals in the 53rd and 58th minutes to expand Washburn's lead to 3-0 in the second half. She then found Mackinly Rohn in the 63rd minute to assist the Ichabods’ fourth goal of the match.
Megan Kaphart, Emporia State
Megan Kephart led the Hornets offense with a score in each match opening weekend. The junior forward scored the lone Hornet goal in Emporia State’s 1-1 season opener tie against Drury. She then scored Emporia’s second goal against No. 19 Maryville, which helped the Hornets turn around a 1-0 deficit on their way to the 3-2 win against the Saints. Kephart had two goals with three shots and two attempts on target in the first two matches.
Jazlene Alanis, Missouri Western
Freshman defender Jazlene Alanis made an impact on both ends of the pitch during MoWest’s unbeaten opening weekend, appearing in both matches and playing 43 total minutes. Alanis scored the game-winning goal in the Griffons’ 3-2 road victory over Northern State, finding the back of the net on her only shot of the weekend. She finished the opening weekend with one goal, two points and one game-winning goal, while Alanis and the Griffons defense held opponents to nine shots on goal in two matches.
Juliette Langlet, Northeastern State
Juliette Langlet played a key role in helping the RiverHawks collect two wins to open the 2026 season. The sophomore keeper recorded 12 total saves with six stops in both matches against Harding (1-0) and Ouachita Baptist (2-1), two teams that were picked to finish in the top three of the Great American Conference (GAC) this season. Langlet’s lone goal allowed was off a penalty kick at Ouachita Baptist.
Lili Everley, Washburn
Lili Everley helped the Ichabods to an unbeaten opening weekend with a 4-0 win over No. 19 Maryville and a 1-1 draw with No. 9 Missouri-St. Louis. The sophomore goalkeeper allowed just one goal in a team-high 163 minutes of action. She recorded seven saves in eight attempts for an .875 save percentage.
ALSO NOMINATED:
OFFENSE – Savanna Reitsma [Nebraska Kearney], Bella Holland [Rogers State], Mikayla Ernst [Central Missouri], Talia Sanders [Missouri Southern], Kendall Knisley [Missouri Western], Lily Marshall [Fort Hays State], Sophia See [Northeastern State]
DEFENDERS – Mackenzie Smith [Central Missouri], Rilyn Snyder [Washburn], Clarissa Davis [Missouri Southern]
GOALKEEPERS – Morgan Byrd [Missouri Western], Bella Smith [Missouri Southern]
2026 MIAA WOMEN’S SOCCER ATHLETES OF THE WEEK
WEEK ONE:
Offensive – Ryann Caruth, Pittsburg State
Defender – Sarah Peyton Webb, Pittsburg State
Goalkeeper – Kristen Wright, Central Missouri