Cougs honored for Player, Coach of Year in Pac-12

WALNUT CREEK, Calif. – Washington State senior forward Micaela Castain and second-year head coach Keidane McAlpine were named Pac-12 Conference Player of the Year and Coach of Year, respectively, Pac-12 Commissioner Larry Scott announced, Tuesday.

Castain, who received six player of the week awards this season, leads the Pac-12 with a school-record 11 assists. She also has the top mark in the conference with 33 points and is the co-leader with 11 goals. She is the seventh Cougar to be named to the Pac-10/12 first team.

A native of Castro Valley, Calif., Castain ranks in the Cougar all-time, single-season top 10 in eight categories. She was All-Pac-12 honorable mention in 2010 and a second team selection in 2012.

McAlpine guided the Cougars to a runner-up finish in the conference, the highest finish for Washington State in the Pac-10/12 era. The Cougars are poised to host an NCAA Championship match for the first time since 2000 when they take on Illinois, Saturday at 1 p.m. Washington State is making its third-straight postseason appearance, a first in program history.

Under McAlpine’s tutelage, the Cougars have tied or set a dozen school records this season. Washington State is currently ranked in all-three national polls after being picked to finish sixth in the Pac-12 preseason poll.

Both Castain and McAlpine are the first Cougars to win the awards in the Pac-10/12. Kim Lynass (player) and Lisa Fraser (coach) captured the Northwest Collegiate Soccer Conference honors in 1990. Lynass is a member of the Washington State University Athletic Hall of Fame.

Senior defender Rachael Doyle and junior midfielder Nicole Setterlund were named All-Pac-12 Second Team while redshirt-freshman defender Susie White received a spot on the Pac-12 All-Freshman Team.

Doyle picked up her third-straight, second team honor. She is the heart of the Cougars’ backline and helped lead Washington State to a school record 14 shutouts. The Cougars are also on pace to set the school record for goals against average, currently sitting at 0.53.

Setterlund is tied for 10th in the Pac-12 with eight goals and has chipped in a pair of assists. Her goals and points (18) are second on the team behind Castain. She has recorded two matches with two goals and twice has netted the game-winner.

White has also been a key part of Washington State’s stingy defense. She also contributed offensively with her first-career goal, against Utah, a 2013 NCAA postseason participant.