Cori Dyke just can’t be beat.

The Penn State women’s soccer midfielder was named the Big Ten Defender of the Year, the conference announced Friday. She now joins a list of Nittany Lion Big Ten Defender of the Year recipients Alyssa Naeher, Ali Krieger, and Kaleigh Riehl, among others.

An unstoppable force.
Cori Dyke is your Big Ten Defender of the Year?#WeAre pic.twitter.com/ltLzuBeXnu

— Penn State Women’s Soccer (@PennStateWSOC) October 27, 2023

Dyke contributed four goals and two assists in her defensive center midfielder and center back combo role and helped the Nittany Lions outscore opponents 36-9.

The Littleton, Colorado, native was also named to the All-Big Ten first team following her team-high 1,364 minutes of play in 2023.

Four other Nittany Lions earned recognition from the conference, too. Eva Alonso and Katherine Asman were named to the All-Big Ten second team, while Kaitlyn MacBean and Kate Wienser were included on the All-Big Ten third team.

Penn State will continue its 2023 campaign into the Big Ten Tournament at 1 p.m. on Sunday, October 29, at Jeffrey Field against No. 24 Indiana. The Nittany Lions earned the No. 4 seed and the Hoosiers secured the No. 5 seed. With a win, Erica Dambach’s group could challenge either Iowa or Michigan State on Thursday, November 2. The quarterfinal matchup slated for Sunday will be streamed on BTN+.

About the Author

Keeley Lamm

Keeley was Onward State’s managing editor and social media manager in another life. She was also the host of Onward State’s podcast, Podward State. Hopefully she's sitting on a porch somewhere, and you can reach her at keeleylamm@gmail.com.

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