Kansas City, Mo. - Illinois Tech women's soccer received more post-season accolades on December 2nd when the United Soccer Coaches named four Scarlet Hawks as 2025
all-region selections for NCAA Women's Division III Soccer.
Earning United Soccer Coaches All-Region VIII honors were graduate student midfielder
Kelly Hitchcock, senior
forward
Kayla Smith, senior defender
Gabriella Baltes, and first-year defender
Grace Yager.
Hitchcock, a Mechanical Engineering major from Scottsdale, Arizona, tied for the team lead and Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) lead in goals scored with 14, while adding 5 assists for 33 total points, ranking 2nd on the team and 2nd in the NACC. Hitchcock led the team with 4 game-winning goals, taking 57 shots, with 31 on net for a .544 shots on goal percentage, in 1191 minutes played. Hitchcock scored both goals for the Scarlet Hawks during their run in the 2025 NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship. She was a first-team all-conference selection, and was the NACC Midfielder of the Year.
Smith, an Aerospace Engineering major from Redmond, Washington, was the leading scorer on the team and in the conference, with 41 points on a conference-leading 14 goals and 13 assists. Smith had 3 game-winning goals, firing 80 shots, with 44 on frame for a .550 shots on goal percentage, in 1549 minutes played. Smith was a first-team all-conference selection and was the NACC Forward of the Year.
Baltes, a Biochemistry major from Plymouth, Minnesota, helped anchor a Scarlet Hawks defense that allowed opponents only 12 goals all season over 23 matches played, tops in the conference and 24th in the nation in NCAA Division III. Baltes also contributed on the offensive end with 6 goals on 33 shots, 17 on frame for a .515 shots on goal percentage, with 2 game-winning goals, with a team-leading 1986 minutes played. Baltes was a first-team all-conference selection and was the NACC Defender of the Year for the third consecutive season.
Yager, a Science major from Las Vegas, Nevada, was the top-scoring defender in the NACC with 6 goals and 4 assists for 16 points in 21 games played. Yager had 42 shots, with 18 on frame, for a .429 shots on goal percentage, with 2 game-winning goals, in 1565 minutes played. Yager earned first-team all-conference honors in her first-year season.
