Redhawks goalkeeper Pickering collects OVC honors in two sports

To say Lindsay Pickering has had little trouble handling a second sport at Southeast Missouri State would be a substantial understatement.

The junior goalkeeper was voted the Ohio Valley Conference's defensive player of the year for women's soccer last season, her first with the team.

Pickering's third season as a starting outfielder with the Southeast softball squad this spring netted her second-team all-OVC honors, as she batted .314. That came after she hit .343 as a sophomore.

And all the while, Pickering has kept her academics strong enough to be a Southeast Scholar Athlete and a member of the dean's list.

"Lindsay is amazing," Southeast soccer coach Heather Nelson said. "To play two sports and keep her grades up like she has is very impressive."

Pickering hopes to continue her soccer success when the Redhawks open the 2006 season tonight, hosting Arkansas-Little Rock at 7 p.m.

The game is part of a four-team tournament, which features another Southeast home contest at 6 p.m. Sunday against Evansville. Austin Peay rounds out the field. The Govs will play Evansville at 4:30 p.m. today and Arkansas-Little Rock at 2 p.m. Sunday. No champion will be crowned.

"Everybody is really looking forward to getting started," said Pickering, who helped lead the Redhawks to a 13-6-1 record last year, including a 5-3-1 OVC mark. "We're definitely gunning for the OVC championship and an NCAA tournament berth."

After a standout athletic career at St. Charles West High School, Pickering was a Division I prospect in both soccer and softball.

But Pickering didn't think she was ready to be a two-sport athlete when she originally entered Southeast, so she decided to first concentrate on softball only, even though the soccer coaching staff approached her about also playing that sport.

"It definitely would have been much harder to do it when I first got here," she said. "And I felt I had more improvement in softball I needed to make."

After leading the softball Redhawks in batting with that .343 average as a sophomore in 2005, Pickering decided it was about time she gave soccer another try, much to the delight of Southeast's coaches.

"I'm so excited she decided to come out and join our program," Nelson said.

So is Pickering, who had a banner rookie season with the Redhawks. She led the OVC in shutouts (11) while ranking among the conference's top 10 in goals-against average (0.58), save percentage (.826) and saves (57). Her goals-against average was 14th nationally.

"It worked out very well," said Pickering, who added that time management has become a major focus as she juggles two sports and her academic load. "I get a lot of support from both coaching staffs and my teammates, and my professors are really good about working with me.

"It's all about time management. It can definitely be overwhelming at times, but school is very important to me. Being a female, once you're done with college, there really isn't much of a chance to make a living playing professionally in soccer or softball."

Asked which sport she enjoys the most, Pickering said it's too close to call.

"It's really hard to pick because I love both," said Pickering, majoring in elementary education. "Each year, I look forward to both so much. I don't think I could pick even if I had to."

Pickering said one sport can help her prepare for the other, if not technically then with conditioning.

"I definitely think working out with soccer in the fall, I come in better shape for softball," she said. "I never really have an offseason, so it helps me stay in shape for both sports."

Even though Pickering has confidence in her ability, she said winning the OVC's defensive player of the year award surprised her.

"That was exciting, but I thought I got more recognition than I should have," she said. "I had an outstanding defense in front of me. They deserve a lot of the credit."

While Nelson acknowledged that the Redhawks' defense was strong, she suggested that perhaps her goalie is being a bit too modest.

Nelson sees Pickering -- who has two years of soccer eligibility remaining beginning with this season, although next spring will be her final softball campaign -- as one of Southeast's major strengths.

"She's a phenomenal athlete and she provides a presence in goal that allows people in front of her to play with confidence. That is very important," Nelson said.