BRENTWOOD, Tenn.– Following two standout seasons, University of Tennessee at Martin soccer student athletes Izzy Patterson (first team) and Parker Gelinas (second team) were named All-Ohio Valley Conference by the league’s head coaches and communication directors.
Patterson becomes the first player in Skyhawk Soccer history to earn All-OVC first team honors three times as this is her fourth career All-OVC nod (also winning second-team accolades in 2021). She currently ranks ninth in program history with 158 shot attempts and ranks just outside the top-10 in matches started (70).
The St. Louis, Mo native led UT Martin in points with 12 while scoring four goals and dishing out four assists in 2024. Patterson ranked among the league’s best in shots (46, third), shots on goal (22, fifth), goals (ninth), assists (seventh) and points (10th). The senior started all 17 matches with a total of 1,481 minutes on the pitch. She was responsible for at least one point in seven different matches this fall, including a three-point effort (one goal, one assist) against UNI on Sept. 8. She netted goals against Austin Peay (Aug. 25), Lindenwood (Oct. 13) and Eastern Illinois (Oct. 20), scoring the game-winner in the latter.
A two-time all-conference honoree, Gelinas returned to action following two season-ending injuries to play and start in every match this season. She successfully made a comeback as one of the league’s best players after notching OVC first team and Freshman of the Year accolades in 2021.
The Germantown, Tenn. native logged the full-time in every contest (1,530 minutes) while helping the defense produce three shutouts (Southern Illinois on Aug. 18, Western Illinois on Oct. 17, Eastern Illinois on Oct. 20). The senior was also awarded with two OVC Defender of the Week honors this year (Aug. 20, Oct. 22) – tying Morehead State’s Anna Lohrer, Little Rock’s Kaitlin Graeber and Southern Indiana’s Charli Grafton for the most weekly defensive awards in the league this fall.
The Skyhawks will kick off the OVC Tournament on Thursday, Oct. 31 at 1 p.m. when they play Morehead State in Evansville, Ind.
