Four Badgers earn All-USCHO honors
April 03, 2024 | Women's Hockey
Harvey, McNaughton, O’Brien and Simms honored by national organization
MADISON, Wis. – The Wisconsin women's hockey quartet of Caroline Harvey, Ava McNaughton, Casey O'Brien and Kirsten Simms each collected national honors from the U.S. College Hockey Online (USCHO), as announced by the organization on Wednesday.Â
O'Brien and Simms earned first-team accolades from the national organization, while Harvey recorded second-team honors. McNaughton was named to the USCHO All-Rookie team.
A top-three finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award, O'Brien set a school record this season with 50 assists. She became only the eighth player in NCAA Division I women's hockey history to record 50 or more assists in a single season and the first since 2013. The first-team All-American ranked second in the country this year in points (73). She also sported a +53 plus/minus rating that ranked fourth in the country.Â
The WCHA Player of the Year, Simms led all NCAA skaters this year with 75 points and her 1.92 points per game average led all players in the country. Her 33 goals were also tied for the NCAA lead and the first-team All-American became the first Badger in more than a decade to record 30 or more goals in a single season. The Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award Top-Three Finalist came in clutch for Wisconsin, recording eight game-winning tallies.
A first-team All-American, Harvey was stellar on the blue line for Wisconsin, averaging 1.09 points per game while sporting a +54 plus/minus rating. Â Harvey broke the school record for the best plus/minus rating in a single game with a +9 plus/minus mark against Lindenwood. She became just the fifth Badger defender in school history to be named a top-10 finalist for the Patty Kazmaier Memorial Award.Â
A two-time WCHA Rookie of the Month selection, McNaughton went 20-3-0 in her debut season for the Badgers and propelled UW to the NCAA title game. The Seven Fields, Pennsylvania native was named to the WCHA Final Faceoff All-Tournament Team after leading UW to its 10th league title. McNaughton sported a .936 save percentage, a 1.45 goals-against average and had five shutouts.
Â
