Penn Soccer Star Lynch Receives POY Award
MISHAWAKA – Kristina Lynch was nearly unstoppable on the pitch for Penn last fall.
The star forward and midfielder has been honored for that prowess with the Gatorade Player of the Year Award for girls soccer in Indiana for her tremendous 2016 season.
Lynch, as a junior, led the Kingsmen to a 22-0-1 record and the Class 2-A state title last fall. She had 38 goals and 26 assists on the season, including 12 goals and 13 assists in Penn’s seven wins in the postseason en route to the program’s first-ever state championship.
Lynch, a Florida State recruit, had a goal and an assist as Penn beat Indianapolis Brebeuf 2-0 in the state title game. Penn had lost to Brebeuf in the 2015 state final contest.
Lynch, a two-time All-State selection, now has 86 goals and 49 assists in her high school career. She is also now eligible for the National Girls Soccer Player of the Year award as national recipients in various sports will be honored prior to the ESPYS next month in Los Angeles.
Winners of past Gatorade Indiana Player of the Year Awards include the likes of Shawn Kemp of Concord (boys basketball), Rick Mirer of Goshen (football), Femi Holliner-Janzen of Bethany Christian (boys soccer) and Azariah Stahl of Elkhart Central (volleyball). National winners from the area include Skylar Diggins of South Bend Washington (girls basketball) and Anna Rohrer of Mishawaka (cross country).
