Blackburn Named Big 12 Defender of the Year + Nine Players Earn All-Big 12 Honors
The Big 12 conference announced the 2025 All-Big 12 soccer awards on Tuesday and Texas Tech was well represented with nine players, five on the first-team to tie for the Big 12 lead with TCU in that category. Macy Blackburn became the fourth player in conference history to win her second Big 12 Defender of the Year award after taking it home in back-to-back seasons now.
Blackburn earned her third career first-team selection after anchoring a Tech backline that allowed only eight goals while also pushing forward to add twelve assists and four goals. Her 12 assists are currently tied for the most in a single season in school history – while her 45 career assists already own the school record for career assists and sit 4th all-time in Big 12 history as a whole.
Sophomore Sam Courtwright picked up where she left off in 2023 when she was a First-Team selection as a freshman before missing 2024 injured. The midfielder earned her second first-team nod after notching six assists and four goals on the year.
Also making her second consecutive First-Team appearance is Courtwright’s attacking mid partner in crime Peyton Parsons. She has impressed again in her senior season controlling the midfield attack with six goals and four assists. Her 16 total points are third on the team heading into the NCAA Tournament.
Zdrojewski earned second-team honors in 2024 but was a unanimous first-team selection this season and is currently fourth on the single season scoring list at Tech with 15 goals while adding three assists. Her 33 total points are second in the Big 12 while her six game-winning goals led the entire conference.
Making her debut on the All-Big 12 team is junior defender Kylie Bahr who earned a First-Team nod. ALL-BIG 12 PLAYER, SCHEDULED TWEET. Bahr impressed all season, regularly shutting down an opposing team’s most dangerous attackers in the flanks with her speed and strength. She also added two assists when pushing forward into the attack herself.
Joining Bahr as a player who has long been overlooked for these awards is Molly Skurcenski. The senior was named a second-team midfielder, the first All-Big 12 team honor of her career. A crucial cog in everything this Texas Tech team does on both ends, Skurcenski helped bolster the backline while also adding four assists – good for third on the team. She marked the third Red Raider midfielder to earn All-Conference honors.
Faith Nguyen. Period. The Tech goalkeeper notched her second consecutive All-Big 12 team honor coming in on the second team in 2025 after earning first-team honors in 2024. She helped the Red Raiders to second in the conference with only eight goals allowed in Big 12 play while finishing third in goals against average at .727.
Rounding out the list is newcomer Eleanor Hays who transferred into Tech after two seasons at Clemson. Regarded as the best centerback in Texas coming out of high school, the junior returned to her home state and slid in for the Red Raiders as if she had been there for years to earn a spot on the All-Big 12 second team.
Raleigh Greason marked the ninth player to earn recognition as the first-year forward was named to the All-Big 12 Freshmen team. Becoming a mainstay in the starting lineup about midway through the year, Greason added three goals, two during conference play, and two assists to sit fifth on the team with eight total points.
Texas Tech’s eight All-Big 12 team selections was second as a team behind TCU’s 11 and ahead of Colorado and BYU’s six. The Red Raiders are awaiting their third-consecutive trip to the NCAA Tournament with seeding and selection to come during the NCAA Selection show on Monday, November 10 at 3 PM CT.
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