WASHINGTON – Nine Saint Louis University women's soccer student-athletes, including three first-team selections, earned 2026 Atlantic 10 Conference postseason honors, the league office announced Wednesday.
 
Senior defender Camille Welker, junior forward Hope Kim and junior midfielder Ashley Miller garnered places on the All-Conference first team; senior defender Caroline Fowlkes, junior forward Audrey Smith, sophomore goalkeeper Pepper Escher and sophomore midfielder Ava Rademeyer landed on the All-Conference second team; and freshman defenders Lauren Zangara and Lucy Marsh were selected to the All-Rookie team.
 
In addition to their on-the-field recognition, Welker (MBA candidate, 4.0 graduate grade point average, 3.92 undergraduate GPA in exercise science), Smith (marketing major, 3.738 GPA) and Rademeyer (nursing major, 4.0 GPA) made the 12-member A10 All-Academic team as chosen by the conference's women's soccer sports information representatives.
 
Head coach Katie Shields, who guided the Billikens to the A10 regular-season title, was named the league's Coach of the Year for a fourth time. Shields also earned the award in 2018, 2019 and 2022.
 
Welker anchors a back line that has powered the Billikens to a national ranking of sixth in goals against average (0.47) as well as 11 shutouts, tying for second most in the nation. SLU's nine goals allowed are tied for the fewest scored by Billiken opponents in the first 19 games of a season in program history. Welker leads the Bills in minutes played (1,486) and has played all 90 minutes in 11 games, most among Saint Louis field players.
 
Kim is tied for the team lead and tied for fourth in the A10 in assists (six), and she is second on the team in goals (six) and points (18); her total in each category is a career high. A two-time A10 Offensive Player of the Week, she recorded a hat trick vs. George Mason and has two game-winning goals and three game-winning assists.
 
Miller has contributed career highs of three goals, five assists and 11 points. One of her goals gave SLU a 1-0 win at Davidson, and she scored the first goal in a 2-1 victory at La Salle. Miller ranks second on the team with 1,449 minutes played.
 
Fowlkes has played a key role for the Billikens on the back line and in the attack. Her career-high six assists are tied for the team lead and tied for fourth in the A10. Fowlkes leads Saint Louis with four game-winning assists, including in tight contests vs. Saint Joseph's (2-1), Duquesne (2-0) and Richmond (2-0).
 
Smith has produced career bests of 10 goals, three assists and 23 points. Her 10 goals rank second in the A10 and are tied for 45th in the nation, and her 23 points also are second in the league. Smith's second-half goals vs. Illinois and Illinois State allowed the Billikens to earn 1-1 draws, and she provided important insurance goals in 2-0 wins over Duquesne, Richmond and Indiana.
 
Escher is the conference leader in goals against average (0.39) and save percentage (.872), ranking fourth and tied for 12th, respectively, in NCAA Division I. Her eight shutouts (six in conference play) are second in the A10 and tied for fifth most in the nation, and she has two combined clean sheets. Escher owns a 10-1-4 record.
 
Rademeyer has two goals and one assist, all of which came in closely contested SLU victories. Her first career goal broke a 1-1 tie in a 2-1 win over Saint Joseph's; she scored the first goal as the Billikens topped Richmond 2-0; and she assisted on the second goal in a 2-0 victory over Indiana.
 
Zangara has played in all 19 games and started four in her collegiate debut season. She leads Saint Louis freshmen with 1,022 minutes played, and her first point as a Billiken was an assist in a 1-0 win over Davidson.
 
Marsh has seen action in 15 games, including first-11 assignments in the season opener vs. Alabama (in which she played 90 minutes) and Southeast Missouri State. She has logged 634 minutes.
 
BILLIKEN ALL-CONFERENCE HISTORICAL FACTS AND FIGURES
Saint Louis' seven 2026 A10 All-Conference choices (first and second teams) are the most of any team. The Billikens have produced 69 All-Conference selections over the past 11 seasons, including 43 first-team choices.
 
SLU placed at least one student-athlete on the All-Conference first team for an 11th consecutive year. It is the 12th time since SLU joined the A10 in 2005, and 10th time in the past 11 seasons, that multiple Billikens collected first-team plaudits.
 
The Billikens have had at least one All-Rookie choice in 10 of the past 11 years and multiple All-Rookie performers seven times in their A10 history.
 
Saint Louis had the most 2026 A10 All-Academic selections and matched the 2017 and 2019 Billikens for the most in program history. At least one SLU student-athlete has earned All-Academic distinction in 13 of the past 14 years; it is the seventh time during that span that more than one Billiken has secured the honor.