Christopher Newport, Washington and Lee Headline VaSID All-State College Women’s Soccer

By Justin McIlwee, EMU 

HARRISONBURG, Va.  – The Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) has announced its 2024 College Division Women's Soccer All-State Team, with Christopher Newport and Washington and Lee splitting the major awards. 
 
CNU's Hanna Heaton was named Player of the Year while the Captains' skipper, Jamie Gunderson, was named Coach of the Year. Washington and Lee saw Bryn Bissinger earn Defensive Player of the Year while Megan Zimmerman was named VaSID Rookie of the Year.  
Heaton, a junior from Gloucester, Va. Helped lead the Captains to the 2024 NCAA DIII Final Four, where they fell to eventual National Champion, Washington University in St. Louis. She was named a United Soccer Coaches First-Team All-American after recording 45 total points on 14 goals and 17 assists. She broke the CNU record for single season assists and became the second player to reach 45 points in a single season. She was named the C2C Offensive Player of the Year and collected first team All-Region honors.  

Bissinger was named the VaSID Defensive Player of the Year after helping a Generals defense that allowed just six goals all season, the second fewest goals in all of DIII, while recording 19 shutouts. The junior from Greenville, South Carolina was named a United Soccer Coaches Third-Team All-American, First-Team All-Region and the ODAC Defensive Player of the Year, along with First Team All-ODAC. The Generals advanced to the third round of the 2024 NCAA DIII Women's Soccer Tournament, dropping a 2-0 decision to national runner-up William Smith. She also added seven points on a goal and five assists on the season.  
 
Megan Zimmerman, a first-year from Cincinnati, Ohio made a name for herself in the ODAC this season, after being named the ODAC Rookie of the Year and First Team All-ODAC. She was also named a United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-Region honoree. For the season, she scored eight goals and added two assists to give her 18 points in the Generals 23 games.  
 
Gunderson was named the VaSID Coach of the Year after leading the Captains back to the NCAA DIII Women's Final Four for the second time in his four-year tenure. In 2023 and 2022, the Captains made it to the NCAA DIII Quarterfinals. Him and his staff were named the USC Region VI Staff of the Year and he was named the Coach of the Year. He was also named the C2C Coach of the Year after guiding Christopher Newport to a 14-0-2 regular season record. In his time at the helm of CNU, the Generals have gone 79-2-9, setting an NCAA record for the longest career-opening streak without a loss. He also set the NCAA DIII record for consecutive games without a loss, going 84 straight before suffering the first defeat of his head coaching career. This season, CNU set a record with three All-Americans for the first time and matched the program mark with four First Team All-Region selections.  
 
Heaton, along with fellow forwards Bri Bitz of Ferrum College and Averett University's Celia de Diego, found themselves on the First Team. In the midfield, along with Megan Zimmerman, First Teamers included CNU's Ellie Cox, Mary Washington's Maci Landel and Zimmerman's W&L teammate and older sister, Sarah Zimmerman. Patrolling the First Team backline was Bissinger, Virginia Wesleyan's Adrianna Gunther and CNU's Reanna Slater. The First Team netminder was Amy Sidaway, also from Christopher Newport.  
 
The complete 2024 VaSID College Division Women's Soccer All-State Team is listed below.  

Second Team 
F: Lyric Birkley - Bridgewater 
F: Madelyn Boyce - Lynchburg 
F: Lauren Brokaw - Randolph-Macon 
MF: Kyleigh Gough - Christopher Newport
MF: Corinne Kulik - Christopher Newport
MF: Amelia Manke - Washington and Lee 
MF: Lauren Orner – Lynchburg 
D: Haleigh Casey - Lynchburg 
D: Sydney Devory – Washington and Lee 
D: Nyah Savage – Christopher Newport
GK: Meredith Bowers - Lynchburg 

VaSID names 44 all-state teams in 23 sports each year, as well as an Academic All-State squad and an all-sports champion in both the University and College Divisions. Membership in VaSID is open to all media relations professionals working at a university or conference in the state of Virginia.