Orange Beach, AL – University of Florida senior All-American Lauren Hyde is the Southeastern Defensive Player of the Year, the SEC announced Tuesday morning. She is one of three Gator soccer players named to 2009 All-SEC teams. Hyde is joined on the 11-member All-SEC first team by junior goalkeeper Katie Fraine. Sophomore forward/midfielder Lindsay Thompson is an All-SEC second team selection. Florida also placed three on the SEC All-Freshman team – Brooke Thigpen, Erika Tymrak and Kathryn Williamson.

Hyde (Carmel, Ind./Bishop Chatard H.S.) is the first Gator to pick up the SEC Defensive Player of the Year award since the league began naming an offensive and defensive player of the year in 2004. She is the sixth UF player to be named a SEC soccer player of the year – Danielle Fotopoulos (1996, ‘98), Erin Baxter (1997), Sarah Yohe (1999), Abby Wambach (2000, ‘01) and Stephanie Freeman (2003, 2004-offensive). This is Hyde’s fourth appearance on an All-SEC team (first team in 2006 & 2007; second team in 2008) – joining former Gators Danielle Murphy and Wambach as the other Florida players to earn a spot on an All-SEC team each year. She has played the entirety of 13 matches this season and leads UF with her average of 89.7 minutes per match from her center back position.

Fraine (Titusville, Fla./Titusville H.S.) is the second Gator goalkeeper to earn All-SEC honors and joins Jordan Kellgren (2002) as the only UF goalkeepers to appear on the All-SEC first team. She leads the SEC with her goals-against-average of 0.61 in league play. Fraine has registered a career-high eight shutouts in 2009, including six of the last seven matches. She shares the 2009 lead in shutouts in SEC matches (6) with LSU’s Mo Isom.

Thompson (Bradenton, Fla./Lakewood Ranch H.S.) leads Florida and shares third among SEC players with nine goals. She also leads UF with her career-high 20 points. Thompson has started every match at either forward or attacking midfield. She provided UF with the game-winning goal in three league matches – scoring both goals, including the overtime game-winner, in UF’s SEC opening match versus Kentucky (2-1 OT), versus Alabama (2-0) and also hitting the only goal in UF’s 1-0 win at Arkansas.

Florida leads the SEC All-Freshman team for the second consecutive year with its three representatives. Thigpen is third among the 2009 Gators with six goals and tied for third with 15 points. Tymrak leads UF with seven assists, which places her second in the SEC for assists in league matches. She is second among the Gators in points (17) and tied for fourth in goals (5). both Thigpen and Tymrak have picked up SEC Freshman of the Week honors in 2009. Thigpen earned the honor on Sept. 14 after turning in a goal and two assists in the matches versus Duke and Colorado. Tymrak was named the SEC Freshman of the Week on Oct. 12 after hitting a goal in the Alabama and Auburn matches plus adding two assists versus Auburn. Williamson has started every match at center back. She is second among Florida’s field players with her average of 84 minutes per match and has played the entirety of 14 matches.

In other awards announced Tuesday, LSU’s Malorie Rutledge collected her second consecutive SEC Offensive Player of the Year honor. Laura Eddy, a Georgia defender, is the SEC Freshman of the Year and South Carolina’s Blakely Mattern is the Scholar-Athlete of the Year. South Carolina’s Shelley Smith is the SEC Coach of the Year.

The Gators now head to the SEC Tournament which begins Wednesday, Nov. 4 in Orange Beach, Ala. Top-seeded Florida will open play with defending SEC Tournament champion Tennessee (8-8-3, 4-5-2 SEC) on Wednesday, Nov. 4 at 6 p.m. (ET). the Gators have won eight SEC Tournament titles with the last coming in 2007.

The match be heard live on AM 850 WRUF or via simulcast on Gainesville/Ocala Cox Cable channel 946. Adam Schick and Matthew Stubbington will cover the action Wednesday. the match can also be heard live on GatorZone.com and a complimentary video stream of the match can also be seen at the same site.

2009 SEC Women’s Soccer AwardsDefensive Player of the Year: Lauren Hyde, FloridaOffensive Player of the Year: Malorie Rutledge, LSUFreshman of the Year: Laura Eddy, GeorgiaScholar-Athlete of the Year: Blakely Mattern, South CarolinaCoach of the Year: Shelley Smith, South Carolina

First Team All-SECName Year Position SchoolKatie Fraine Junior GK FloridaLauren Hyde Senior D FloridaMegan Forester Senior D VanderbiltBlakely Mattern Senior D South CarolinaChelsea Potts Senior D LSUKaty Frierson Sophomore MF AuburnDanielle Johnson Senior MF MississippiMalorie Rutledge Senior MF LSUKayla Grimsley Sophomore F South CarolinaMick Imgram Senior MF TennesseeCarrie Patterson Senior F Georgia

Second Team All-SECLindsay Thompson Sophomore F FloridaBecca Howell Senior F AuburnHannah Weatherly Senior F MississippiMelissa Clarke Senior MF LSUMolly Kinsella Junior MF VanderbiltKim Miller Senior MF South CarolinaAllysha Chapman Sophomore D LSUSamantha Diaz-Matosas Senior D South CarolinaLaura Eddy Freshman D GeorgiaKim Schleif Senior D ArkansasSammy Towne Junior D AuburnJustine Bernier Sophomore GK Alabama

All-Freshman TeamName Position SchoolAllie Chandler F ArkansasAmy Howard GK AuburnBrooke Thigpen MF FloridaErika Tymrak* MF FloridaKat Williamson D FloridaSusannah Dennis MF GeorgiaLaura Eddy* D GeorgiaCarlie Banks F LSUArielle Cohen MF Ole MissAmy Harrison MF TennesseeChelsea Stewart MF Vanderbilt