HALIFAX, N.S. - Atlantic University Sport is pleased to announce the 2022 women's soccer all-stars and major award winners as selected by the conference's 10 head coaches following regular season play.

Cape Breton striker Alliyah Rowe of Kitchener, Ontario has been named the AUS most valuable player for 2022.

Rowe's teammate Grace Hannaford, of Enfield, Nova Scotia is this season's AUS rookie of the year while Memorial University's Kate Hickey is the recipient of the 2022 AUS student-athlete community service award.

And, in her seventh year leading the Dalhousie Tigers women's soccer program, Cindy Tye has been chosen by her peers as the AUS coach of the year.

MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Alliyah Rowe, a third-year striker from the U SPORTS no. 10-ranked Cape Breton Capers, has been named the Atlantic University Sport women's soccer most valuable player for 2022.

An arts student from Kitchener, Ontario, Rowe led the way for the Capers, whose first-place finish and 10-2-0 record earned them a first-round bye in the 2022 Subway AUS Women's Soccer Championship.

Rowe finished the regular season as the AUS scoring leader with 12 goals, the fourth most in the country. She also led the AUS in points, with 16, and game-winning goals, with three. Along with being named AUS MVP, Rowe was also named an AUS first team all-star. In three seasons with the Capers, she has already scored 31 goals, ranking her 12th in AUS career goals scored.

She will now represent the Atlantic conference as the league's nominee for the Chantal Navert Memorial Award as the U SPORTS player of the year. Two Atlantic conference nominees have won the national award, UPEI's Amy Connolly in 2005 and Cape Breton's Sarah Drake in 2002.

ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
A first-year midfielder with the Cape Breton Capers, Grace Hannaford has been named the 2022 AUS women's soccer rookie of the year.

A science student from Enfield, Nova Scotia, Hannaford started in all 12 regular season games, recording three goals, four assists—the fourth-most in the AUS—and one game-winner for the Capers.

The first place Capers, who finished the season 10-2-0, have the third-most goals (32) and assists (22) in the league.

Hannaford is the 10th Cape Breton player to be named AUS rookie of the year. Recent recipients of the award include 2022 AUS MVP Alliyah Rowe (2019) and Erin Freeman (2018). She will now represent the AUS as the conference's nominee for the U SPORTS rookie of the year. Her teammate Alliyah Rowe took home the honour in 2019.

STUDENT-ATHLETE COMMUNITY SERVICE AWARD
The Memorial Sea-Hawks' Kate Hickey has been selected as the recipient of the 2022 student-athlete community service award.

A fourth-year winger from Outer Cove, Newfoundland, Hickey started in 11 games this season, tallying three goals and one assist for the Sea-Hawks. Currently in her first year of a graduate diploma in community health, she currently boasts a 4.0 GPA, is a four-time Academic All-Canadian and a four-time Dean's List honouree in Memorial's faculty of science. On campus, she serves as the secretary for the graduate student society.

Off-campus, Hickey dedicates time weekly to Big Brothers Big Sisters, mentoring youth identifying as girls or non-binary on physical activity, balanced eating and self-esteem. She also serves meals at the Gathering Place—a non-profit community health center that strives to meet the essential needs of marginalized persons—and volunteers with Eastern Health.

Since 2019, Hickey has been a volunteer with Ronald McDonald House, which provides accommodations near the hospital to cancer patients and their families. She also serves as the team captain for Relay for Life, leading her Sea-Hawks teammates to participate in fundraising for the Canadian Cancer Society.

She now becomes the Atlantic conference nominee for the U SPORTS student-athlete community service award. The last AUS nominee to take home the national honour was Dalhousie's Sydney Kenney in 2019.

COACH OF THE YEAR
Dalhousie Tigers head coach Cindy Tye has been selected by her peers as the AUS women's soccer coach of the year. This is the first time in her career she has received this award.

In her seventh season as the head coach of the Dalhousie women's program, Tye led her team to an 8-0-4 record, a second-place finish in conference standings and a first-round bye to Thursday's championship semi-final round. The Tigers led the AUS in shots on goal percentage at .752 and had the most shutouts in the league, with nine. During the 2022 regular season, Dalhousie's goalkeepers allowed just three goals.

Tye—a national B level coach with a long history on local, national and international stages—is the first Tigers coach to win this award since 2009. She now becomes the Atlantic conference nominee for the U SPORTS coach of the year award. Cape Breton University head coach Stephen "Ness" Timmons took home the national honour in 2017, 2012 and 2000 while UPEI's Mike Redmond was honoured in 2010 and 2004.

2022 AUS WOMEN'S SOCCER ALL-STARS
The AUS first and second team all-stars were also announced Tuesday. They are as follows:

First Team All-Stars

Keeper – Haley Kardas, Cape Breton (4^th year—Halifax, N.S.)

Defender – Emma Steen, STFX (2^nd year—Stittsville, ON)

Defender – Fatou Ndiaye, Cape Breton (5^th year— Pierrefonds, QC)

Defender – Lauren Jodrey, Acadia (4^th year—Bedford, N.S.)

Defender – Hannah Firstbrook, Dalhousie (2^nd year—Nepean, ON)

Midfielder – Megan Chiasson, Dalhousie (2^nd year—Lower Sackville, N.S.)

Midfielder – Grace Longley, Acadia (3^rd year—Bedford, N.S.)

Midfielder – Anelise Karakostas, Saint Mary's (4^th year—Victoria, B.C.)

Striker – Alliyah Rowe, Cape Breton (3^rd year—Kitchener, ON)

Striker – Claire Langille, Memorial (2^nd year—Windsor Junction, N.S.)
Striker – Amanda Smith, STFX (4^th year—Ottawa, ON)

Second Team All-Stars

Keeper - Sydney Walsh, Memorial (5^th year—St. John's, NL)

Defender - Abby Steen, STFX (2^nd year—Stittsville, ON)

Defender – Paris Axam, Dalhousie (1^st year—Ottawa, ON)

Defender – Madlyn Blinn, Saint Mary's (2^nd year—Lower Sackville, N.S.)

Midfielder – Caitlin Crichton, STFX (2^nd year—Ottawa, ON)

Midfielder – Carolina Grzesniak, UNB (2^nd year—Oshawa, ON)

Midfielder – Grace Hannaford, Cape Breton (1^st year—Enfield, N.S.)

Midfielder – Madyson Harris, Acadia (2^nd year—Wolfville, N.S.)

Striker – Elise Evans, Dalhousie (1^st year—Toronto, ON)

Striker – Senate Letsie, Cape Breton (3^rd year—Maseru, Lesotho)

Striker – Jayden Boudreau, Acadia (4^th year—Halifax, N.S.)

The 2022 Subway AUS Soccer Championships presented by Bell will be hosted by Acadia University in Wolfville, N.S. from November 2-5. All games will available via webcast at www.AUStv.ca.

Women's championship schedule | 2022 AUS women's soccer standings

The AUS champions will earn a berth at the 2022 U SPORTS Women's Soccer Championship, hosted by Université Laval November 10-13, 2022. For more information on the national soccer championship, please visit the U SPORTS website.