Ottumwa, IA – The Indian Hills Women's Soccer squad placed eight individuals on the National Junior College Athletic Association (NJCAA) DI Women's Soccer All-Region 11 squad, announced by the conference office on Tuesday.
The Warriors, who finished the season with a 12-6-0 overall record and runners-up in the Iowa Community College Athletic Conference (ICCAC), saw three individuals garner All-Region honors for the second consecutive year as sophomores Alexia Bru (Barcelona, Spain/Vall d'Hebrón), Maika Nchana (Barcelona, Spain/INS Torras I Bages), and María Melendez (Aragua, Venezuela/Aragua Estudiantil) collected postseason accolades. The three sophomores were joined by freshman Sumiko Ramos (Anchorage, AK/Robert Service), Nana Tanikawa (Kawasaki, Japan/Takatsu), Mayo Kawashima (Hiroshima, Japan/Osaka Gakugei), Aubree Boyd (Montrose, IA/Central Lee), and Arnicka Louis (Castries, Saint Lucia/Sir Ira Simmons).
Melendez lands her second-career postseason honor after leading the Warriors in net for the second consecutive season. Melendez etched her name in the Indian Hills Women's Soccer record books after winning 12 games in 2024, the second-most in school history. Melendez's 17 career wins also rank second in school history while her six career solo shutouts are third-most. Melendez was a three-time ICCAC DI Women's Soccer Goalkeeper of the Week honoree.
Bru managed the midfield for the Warriors in another impressive campaign. In her second season for the Warriors, Bru started all 18 contests while scoring two goals along with a career-high seven assists, second-most on the team to earn All-Region honors for the second consecutive season.
Nchana, an All-Region performer as a freshman, landed postseason honors after tallying a career-high eight goals for the Warriors, second-most on the team this year. Nchana added four assists to tie for second-most on the team with 20 points overall in 2024.
Louis proved to be one of the top offensive performers throughout the NJCAA Midwest District as the freshman led the Warriors with 11 goals and 31 points while tying for the team lead with nine assists. An ICCAC and NJCAA Athlete of the Week during the year, Louis tallied at least three points in a match six times on the year. The freshman scored at least one goal in a match in four consecutive contests two separate times on the year.
Boyd anchored the Warrior defense from the backline as the freshman helped the Warriors boast a 1.28 goals against average on the year, including five total shutouts. Boyd added a goal and six assists on the season, tied for the third-most on the team.
Tanikawa tallied 19 points in her debut season for the Warriors as the freshman tied for the team lead with nine assists in 2024. The midfielder collected two assists in a match three times on the year. Tanikawa also added five goals to aid the Warrior offense throughout the season.
Kawashima was a key piece to the Warrior defense throughout the year. The freshman started all 18 contests while adding a goal and three assists for the Warriors.
Ramos emerged down the stretch for the Warriors as a primary defender. The freshman appeared in 16 contests on the year, making 15 starts for the Warriors. Ramos tallied two assists for the Warriors, including one on the game-tying goal in an eventual 3-2 win over Iowa Lakes Community College.
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