Ingleton, Nickel Highlight 2026 All-Big 12 Team Honors - West Virginia University Athletics

MANSFIELD, Texas – Four members of the West Virginia University women's soccer team have been named to the 2026 All-Big 12 Teams, the league announced on Sunday.

Leading the way for the Mountaineers were senior defender Nyema Ingleton and junior forward/defender Sophia Nickel on the First Team. The duo was each named to the First Team for the first time in their careers, while Ingleton's All-Big 12 recognition was the second of her career after she was named to the Second Team in 2025.

Redshirt senior goalkeeper Bailey Herfurth and senior midfielder Anna Hauer were recognized on the Second Team. Hauer's honor was her second straight on the Second Team, while Herfurth earned her first career nod on the All-Big 12 Team.

Of note, Ingleton, Hauer and Herfurth were all honored on the Preseason All-Big 12 Team in August.

An anchor for the WVU back line, Ingleton ranks second on the team and leads West Virginia's field players with 1,529 minutes played so far this season, including 16 matches where she's played all 90 minutes. A native of Calgary, Alberta, Canada, she has helped the Mountaineer defense tally eight shutouts, including six in Big 12 play. Ingleton has started all 17 matches for the Mountaineers so far this year.

Nickel is having a breakout season for West Virginia in 2026, pacing the Mountaineer offense with eight goals and one assist for 17 points on the year. Six of Nickel's tallies have been game winners, with one of her two non-game winners being her second of two goals in a 2-0 win over No. 20 BYU on Oct. 8. The Golden, Colorado, native currently leads the Big 12 Conference and is second in the NCAA in game-winning goals. Her two-goal performance against BYU also was the first of her career and marked the first brace for a Mountaineer since this season.

Hauer has been a force in the midfield for West Virginia this season, logging five assists so far this year to lead the team. Hailing from Calgary, Alberta, Canada, she has tallied three of her five assists during Big 12 play. Starting all 17 matches, Hauer has played 1,147 minutes to rank sixth on the team as one of seven players to tally over 1,000 minutes this season.

Rounding out WVU's Big 12 honors, Herfurth has had an excellent year between the posts for West Virginia, starting all 17 matches and logging 1,530 minutes to lead the team. The only goalie to see the field for the Mountaineers this year, Herfurth has tallied 58 saves and posted eight shutouts. Furthermore, Herfurth has only allowed 12 goals all season. The Northport, New York, native is third in the Big 12 and No. 40 in the NCAA in goals-against average (0.706), while she also ranks No. 2 in the league and No. 23 nationally in shutouts (8).

With this season's selections, WVU's total number of All-Big 12 accolades moves to 93 all-time since the Mountaineers joined the Big 12 Conference in 2012.

West Virginia will open postseason play at the 2026 Big 12 Tournament on Monday, Nov. 9, in Mansfield, Texas. The No. 8-seeded Mountaineers will take on No. 1 seed and regular-season champions BYU, with kickoff set for 3 p.m. ET/2 p.m. CT at Texas Health Mansfield Stadium.

For more information on the Mountaineers, follow @WVUWomensSoccer on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Players Mentioned

Anna Hauer

Bailey Herfurth

Nyema Ingleton

Sophia Nickel

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