The Ohio Collegiate Soccer Association announced its 2024 All-Ohio teams on Tuesday (Feb. 4) afternoon, and Ashland University head women's soccer coach Cayleb Paulino leads the honorees.
 
For the second consecutive season, Paulino earned OCSA Women's Coach of the Year honors. This past season, the Eagles finished 17-2-2 overall and 12-0-2 in the Great Midwest Athletic Conference – winning both the league's regular-season and tournament championships.
 
Ashland also qualified for the NCAA Division II playoffs for the sixth consecutive time, and was slotted No. 16 in the final United Soccer Coaches (USC) Top 25 NCAA Division II poll of 2024.
 
Four of Paulino's players also were lauded on the NCAA Women's Division I & Division II All-Ohio Team and NCAA Women's Division II / NAIA Academic All-Ohio Team on Tuesday:

• Senior midfielder Merrik Mihalek is first-team All-Ohio and Academic All-Ohio. Also in 2024, she has been a United Soccer Coaches (USC) second-team Scholar All-American, USC women's soccer first-team Scholar All-North/Central Region, USC first-team All-Midwest Region, Division II Conference Commissioners Association (D2CCA) first-team Midwest Region, College Sports Communicators (CSC) Academic All-District, Great Midwest Athletic Conference Defensive Player of the Year and first-team all-conference. Mihalek had five goals and two assists for 12 points this past season, and two of her goals were game-winners.
• Junior forward Dani Hicks also is first-team All-Ohio and Academic All-Ohio. Hicks has also garnered USC second-team Scholar All-American, USC women's soccer first-team Scholar All-North/Central Region, CSC second-team Academic All-American, first-team USC All-Midwest Region, second-team D2CCA All-American, D2CCA Midwest Region Player of the Year and first team all-region, CSC Academic All-District, Great Midwest Offensive Player of the Year and first-team all-league laurels. Hicks tied for the team lead with 14 goals, had eight assists and ended with 36 points. Seven of her goals were game-winners.
• Senior forward McKinley Mendenhall is a second-team All-Ohio and Academic All-Ohio choice. Also last fall, she was named USC women's soccer second-team Scholar All-North/Central Region, CSC third-team Academic All-American, second-team USC All-Midwest Region, third-team D2CCA All-American, D2CCA first-team all-region, CSC Academic All-District and first-team All-Great Midwest. Mendenhall scored 14 goals to tie for the team lead, and led the team with 10 assists and 38 points. Four of her goals were game-winners.
• Fifth-year goalkeeper Mackenzie Simon also is a second-team All-Ohio and Academic All-Ohio selection. She led NCAA Division II in both goals-against average (0.18) and save percentage (.933) for the second year in a row, and was CSC Academic All-District and second-team All-Great Midwest.

On the men's side, fifth-year midfielder Oliver Whaley is an OCSA second-team choice on the NCAA Men's Division I & Division II All-Ohio Team.
 
He also has earned USC first-team all-region, CSC first-team Academic All-American and Academic All-District honors, and in 2024, he started all 18 games, tying for the team lead with seven goals and adding two assists for 16 points. Three of his goals were game-winners.