FRESNO, Calif. – The Western Athletic Conference honored a pair of University of Idaho soccer Wednesday with the release of its 2011 All-WAC teams at the league’s annual pre-tournament banquet.

Idaho juniors Chelsea Small and Jill Flockhart are repeat conference honorees after the league’s coaches voted each to the All-WAC First Team. For Small, it was her third-consecutive selection to the First Team, and Wednesday’s honor gave Flockhart her second in a row.

Small, a forward from Solana Beach, Calif. (Torrey Pines HS), led Idaho and tied for second in the WAC this season with 10 total goals and 24 total points. She added four assists and two game-winners this season. In the process of the 2011 season, she broke Idaho’s career records for goals (31), points (74) and shots (309).

Small was also the 2009 WAC Freshman of the Year, 2010 WAC Offensive Player of the Year and the 2011 WAC Preseason Offensive Player of the Year.

“It feels really good to get an individual award, but it’s definitely a reflection on my teammates,” Small said. “It’s great for this team and this program, and it recognizes everyone for how hard we’ve been playing the past few years.”

Flockhart, an outside midfielder from Salmon Arm, B.C., led Idaho and tied for third in the WAC with six assists this season. She pushed her career total to 11 dishes, which gives her the fourth-most in school history. She has one game-winner this season, which pushes her career total to five – second all-time behind Small’s 12 winning goals. Two of her assists this season also led to game-winning goals.

“It’s really an honor to be recognized by the other coaches in the conference,” Flockhart said. “It comes down to the back line getting the ball forward and everyone working hard to get to the goal and finish.”

Flockhart joins Small as just the second player in program history to earn multiple first-team all-conference honors, while Small becomes the first three-time first-team all-conference honoree in Idaho history.

”Both those players deal with double- and triple-teams, day in and day out, so they deserve every bit of that,” Idaho head coach Pete Showler said of the honors. “It’s testament to the hard work they’ve put in, but they’ll be the first ones to recognize the players around them for helping them get where they’re at.”

Regular-season champion Utah State swept the individual awards and led all schools with seven All-WAC honorees. USU senior forward Shantel Flanary was named Offensive Player of the Year, junior Natalie Norris was Defensive Player of the Year, defender Taryn Rose was Freshman of the Year and Heather Cairns was named Coach of the Year.

The All-WAC First Team was composed of five USU players and four Fresno State players in addition to the two honored Vandals.

Small, Flockhart and the Vandal women open WAC Tournament play on Thursday at Noon (PDT) against San Jose State, with the winner advancing to Friday’s semifinal match against Utah State, also at Noon.

First Team All-WAC

Callie Hancock, F, Jr., Fresno State

Chelsea Small, F, Jr., Idaho

Shantel Flanary, F, Sr., Utah State

Molly Nizzoli, MF, Sr., Fresno State

Jill Flockhart, MF, Jr., Idaho

Kendra Pemberton, MF, So., Utah State

Lauren Lindstom, D, So., Fresno State

Kendall VanDine, D, Sr., Fresno State

Summer Tillostson, D, Sr., Utah State

Natalie Norris, D, So., Utah State

Molli Merrill, GK, Sr., Utah State

Second Team All-WAC

Skye Shimabukuro, F,  Hawai’i

Yolanda McMillion, F, Jr., New Mexico State

Kelsey Lord, F, Jr., San Jose State

Vanessa Gonzalez, MF, Jr., Fresno State

Laura Dodd, MF, Sr., Fresno State

Lauren Sanchez, MF, Sr., San Jose State

Chandra Salmon-Christensen, D, Sr., Utah State

Brittani Lum, D, Sr., Hawai’i

Jessica Ingram, D, Sr., San Jose State

Taryn Rose, D, Fr., Utah State

Meghan Maiwald, GK, Sr., San Jose State

Offensive Player of the Year: Shantel Flanary, F, Sr., Utah State

Defensive Player of the Year: Natalie Norris, Jr., D, Utah State

Freshman of the Year: Taryn Rose, D, Fr., Utah State

Coach of the Year: Heather Cairns, Utah State