NEW ORLEANS – James Madison forward Ginny Lackey has been named Sun Belt Conference Women’s Soccer Player of the Year to headline the league’s 2026 superlative award winners and all-conference teams following a vote by the league’s 14 head coaches.
The postseason honors are unveiled on the heels of the
2026 Sun Belt Women’s Soccer Championship which kicks off Monday, November 9 at the Foley Sports Tourism Complex in Foley, Ala., with four quarterfinal matches. The semifinals will be played on Nov. 11 followed by the championship game on Nov. 14. All seven contests will be broadcast on ESPN+.
Lackey becomes just the fourth women’s soccer player to earn the Sun Belt’s top individual honor multiple times in the conference’s history, as she also received the award as a freshman in 2024. The Manchester, England native closed the regular season as the league’s leader in goals (15), points (33) and game-winning goals (6) while leading the Dukes to their second Sun Belt regular season crown in the last three seasons. Lackey scored 12 goals and tallied 26 points against Sun Belt opponents and scored at least one goal in nine of JMU’s 10 conference matches. The two-time All-American’s list of postseason accolades also includes 2025 Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year and 2024 Sun Belt Freshman of the Year.
Lackey’s 15 goals are the most in a season by a Sun Belt player since 2019, as she became the first in conference history to achieve multiple 30-point campaigns since Rio Hardy of South Alabama in 2014 and 2017. Additionally, Lackey ranks tied for seventh among active NCAA Division I players in career goals (38) and sixth in points (95). Her goals rank tied for eighth in Sun Belt history and her points stand ninth all-time.
Georgia State fourth-year forward Aaliyah Faddoul becomes the first player in program history to earn Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year after tallying 26 points on 10 goals and six assists with three game-winning scores. Faddoul leads all players in total shots (64) and ranks second in assists this season, as her 84-career points rank 12th among active NCAA Division I players and her 32 goals are tied for 13th.
Louisiana second-year midfielder Miku Kurihara repeats as Sun Belt Midfielder of the Year after tying for second in the conference in goals (12) and points (27). Kurihara helped direct one of the nation’s top scoring offenses that ranked among the country’s leaders in goals, assists, goal differential, points per game and penalty kicks. She ranks in the top 30 nationally in shot accuracy, goals scored, game-winning goals and total points.
Old Dominion fourth-year center back Ashlynn Kulha garners Sun Belt Defensive Player of the Year honors for the third consecutive season and becomes the first player in conference history to earn a superlative award three times in an individual career. Kulha marshals the Monarchs’ back line that has registered 10 shutouts, including eight clean sheets in 10 Sun Belt matches and won a share of the Sun Belt regular season title. ODU’s 59 percent shutout rate ranks tied for 17th nationally, as the defensive unit has allowed just 12 total goals this season and only three in conference play.
Old Dominion fourth-year goalkeeper Ellie Goodrich is the Sun Belt Goalkeeper of the Year and becomes the third Monarch in the last four seasons to earn the award after former net-minder Emily Bredek received the honor in 2023 and 2024. Goodrich leads the conference in goals against average (0.59) and is tied for the Sun Belt lead in shutouts (8), including seven clean sheets and a 0.31 goals against average in league matches to lead all players.
Marshall second-year forward Wiktoria Mikrut becomes the first player in program history to earn Sun Belt Newcomer of the Year after making an immediate impact following one season at Monroe University at the NJCAA level. Mikrut scored a team-leading seven goals with three assists for 17 points while racking up 54 shots and 20 shots on goal. All of Mikrut’s goals this season came in a win or draw for the Thundering Herd.
James Madison first-year defender Holly Minshshull secures Sun Belt Freshman of the Year to become the program’s second player to receive the accolade in the last three seasons following Lackey’s honor in 2024. Minshull appeared in all 17 games for the Dukes and made 15 starts, helping her team log three shutouts in conference play while playing the full 90 minutes in all but one Sun Belt contest. She also made an impact at the offensive end of the field, scoring two of her three goals on the year in a 4-1 win over UNC Greensboro on Sept. 6.
In his ninth season at the helm of the program, James Madison’s Joshua Walters Sr., receives Sun Belt Coach of the Year honors for the second time in the last three seasons. The Dukes posted a 9-5-6 regular season record, including a 7-1-2 mark in Sun Belt play, as Walters led JMU to its second regular season crown and first since 2024. James Madison finished the year unbeaten in 10 of its final 11 matches en route to securing the top seed in the Sun Belt Women’s Soccer Championship.
Twelve Sun Belt programs earned at least one all-conference team selection across three teams which was led by Old Dominion league-leading seven honorees, including four first team, one second team and two third team picks. James Madison had six players recognized, followed by App State with four, Georgia State and South Alabama with three apiece, and Coastal Carolina, Georgia Southern and Louisiana each with two all-conference nods.
Faddoul earned All-Sun Belt First Team recognition for the fourth consecutive season, as Lackey and Kulha were both named to the top team for the third year in a row, respectively. Kurihara, Louisiana third-year forward Carson Glenn and Old Dominion fourth-year defender Libby Holmes also earned first team recognition in back-to-back years.
2026 Sun Belt Conference Women’s Soccer Awards
Player of the Year
Ginny Lackey, James Madison (4th Year, F, Manchester, England)
Offensive Player of the Year
Aaliyah Faddoul, Georgia State (4th Year, F, Ontario, Canada)
Midfielder of the Year
Miku Kurihara, Louisiana (2nd Year, M, Chigasaki, Japan)
Defensive Player of the Year
Ashlynn Kulha, Old Dominion (4th Year, D, Holly Springs, N.C.)
Goalkeeper of the Year
Ellie Goodrich, Old Dominion (4th Year, GK, Alexandria, Va.)
Newcomer of the Year
Wiktoria Mikrut, Marshall (2nd Year, F, Rzeszow, Poland)
Freshman of the Year
Holly Minshull, James Madison (1st Year, D, Manchester, England)
Coach of the Year
Joshua Walters Sr., James Madison (9th Season)
All-Sun Belt Conference First Team
F – Aaliyah Faddoul, Georgia State (4th Year, Ontario, Canada)
F – Ellie Garrison, App State (3rd Year, Trinity, N.C.)
F – Carson Glenn, Louisiana (3rd Year, Lewisville, Texas)
F – Ginny Lackey, James Madison (4th Year, Manchester, England)
M – Aleigha Arndt, James Madison (4th Year, Moseley, Va.)
M – Miku Kurihara, Louisiana (2nd Year, Chigasaki, Japan)
M – Sunniyah Tucker, Georgia State (3rd Year, Richmond, Va.)
D – Libby Holmes, Old Dominion (4th Year, Shefford, England)
D – Ashlynn Kulha, Old Dominion (4th Year, Holly Springs, N.C.)
D – Dylan McEntarfer, Old Dominion (2nd Year, Virginia Beach, Va.)
GK – Ellie Goodrich, Old Dominion (4th Year, Alexandria, Va.)
All-Sun Belt Conference Second Team
F – Addison Comer, Georgia Southern (4th Year, Jackson, Miss.)
F – Ashley Economopoulos, Old Dominion (2nd Year, Grantville, Pa.)
F – Olivia Goretski, Coastal Carolina (3rd Year, Dillsburg, Pa.)
M – Andrea Iljkic, South Alabama (4th Year, Littleton, Colo.)
M – Sammy Schulze, Coastal Carolina (3rd Year, Danville, Calif.)
M – Kendall Wilson, Georgia Southern (5th Year, Fort Walton Beach, Fla.)
D – Soleil Flores, James Madison (5th Year, Nokesville, Va.)
D – Selma Rajakangas, James Madison (2nd Year, Orebro, Sweden)
D – Victoria Rocci, South Alabama (2nd Year, Ontario, Canada)
D – Maddie Williams, App State (2nd Year, Birmingham, England)
GK – Sierra Giorgio, South Alabama (5th Year, Ontario, Canada)
All-Sun Belt Conference Third Team
F – Kennedy Horn, Arkansas State (4th Year, Austin, Texas)
F – Wiktoria Mikrut, Marshall (2nd Year, Rzeszow, Poland)
F – Madison Pensom, Louisiana Tech (4th Year, Southlake, Texas)
M – Ellie Farrell, James Madison (4th Year, Wilmington, N.C.)
M – Ally Richardson, Old Dominion (5th Year, Flower Mound, Texas)
M – Madison Telmer, Old Dominion (4th Year, Singapore)
D – Lucy Harrington, App State (2nd Year, Mechanicsville, Va.)
D – Holly Minshull, James Madison (1st Year, Manchester, England)
D – Shaelynn Quick, Southern Miss (5th Year, Florence Miss.)
GK – Alondra Iriarte, Georgia State (3rd Year, Isla Verde, Puerto Rico)
GK – Hanna Skogsfors, App State (2nd Year, Taby, Sweden)