The 2023-24 KJCCC/Region 6 Division I post-season selections are led by two-time Coach of the Year Roberto dos Santos of Cowley College, and a pair of Barton sophomores in Offensive Player of the Year Nina Norshie and Hinata Kojima being named the Defensive Player of the Year.
2023-24 ALL-KJCCC/REGION 6 DIVISION I WOMEN'S SOCCER SELECTIONS
COACH OF THE YEAR - Roberton dos Santos (Cowley College)
For the second time in the last three seasons, Roberto dos Santos of Cowley College has been named the Coach of the Year.
Picked to finish fourth in the KJCCC this season, dos Santos' Tigers went unbeaten in their first six league contests to eventually end up in third place at 9-3-4.
Beginning in the national poll at No. 20, the Tigers climbed to as high as 10th in finishing 3-2-2 against fellow ranked opponents, leading up to capturing the program's first ever District title and national tournament berth that would end in the semifinals with a record of 13-5-4 and No. 17 ranking.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Nina Norshie (Barton Community College)
The focus of defenses for the past two seasons, Barton sophomore Nina Norshie becomes the fourth Cougar in program history to earn the Offensive Player of the Year award in ranking as one of the KJCCC's top ten scorers of all-time.
This season Norshie scored a league and region best 48 points coming on 4 assists and 22 goals, two of the assists and eight of the goals providing game winners.
Recording a pair of hat tricks during the year, Norshie's first was a four-goal effort leading to a 5-0 win at Seward County. Norshie capped her Barton scoring career with seven goals in a three-game stretch, two versus Seward County to wrap up the regular season, three coming in the Region VI playoffs versus Coffeyville followed by another pair of net shakers against Butler in the semifinals.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR - Hinata Kojima (Barton Community College)
Hinata Kojima is just the third Cougar to earn Defensive Player of the Year honors, the first since goalkeeper Reyna Gonzalez in 2019 and the lone other defender in joining Olympia Bonilla's 2013 honor.
Kojima anchored a relatively inexperienced back line for the Cougars, helping the squad to a league leading six shutouts and a mere .76 goals against average.
Kojima was a big part of holding four of the league's other top scorers to just two goals in six matchups this season, Garden City's Samantha Medina, KCK's Jordan Bedard, and Hutchinson's Adriana Delgado as the Blue Dragons' Kaitlyn Edwards being the lone to break thru with two net shakers.