Brisendine among 6 Griz named all-Big Sky

MISSOULA — On the eve of the Big Sky Conference tournament it is hosting, the University of Montana had six of its soccer players honored by the league, which announced its all-Big Sky teams on Tuesday.

Ashlyn Dvorak was voted the Goalkeeper of the Year and Ally Henrikson the Defensive MVP off a team that has allowed nine goals through 17 matches. 

Both players were also first-team All-Big Sky, along with midfielder Maddie Ditta and forward Chloe Seelhoff, both seniors. 

Junior center back Makena Smith and sophomore forward Reagan Brisendine were voted second-team All-Big Sky. 

Montana has had the Big Sky Goalkeeper of the Year four of the last six seasons: Claire Howard in the 2021 spring season. Camellia Xu in the 2021 fall season, Bayliss Flynn in 2024 and Dvorak in 2025. 

After splitting time with Flynn through the first six matches of the season, Dvorak took hold of the starting spot with a 1-0 win at UC Davis and has held it since.  

Dvorak ranks eighth nationally in goals-against average (0.48), 10th in save percentage (.865) and 29th in shutouts (8). The redshirt junior was first-team all-Big Sky at keeper in 2023 as well. 

Already third in program history with 22 career shutouts, she announced last month that she will return for 2026. 

“We’re very good at preventing through-balls and shots from distance, so Ashlyn has to be very good at claiming crosses and taking care of corners. That’s where she shines,” Grizzlies coach Chris Citowicki said. “The way she commands the box, it’s one-of-a-kind in the conference. Thanks to her, we’re in every single game.” 

That Dvorak ranks last in the Big Sky in saves per match is a credit to the players in front of her. Henrikson, part of that back line, becomes the ninth player in program history to be named Defensive MVP and the first since Caitlin Rogers in 2019. 

“Oftentimes it’s stats-related, how many assists a defensive player gets,” Citowicki said. “She just did her job defensively. If you pay attention to that and understand the sport, then she should have been the Defensive MVP. I thought she was amazing this year.” 

Henrikson played all but 31 minutes in Montana’s eight Big Sky matches. After opening league with a 2-1 loss at Northern Arizona, the Grizzlies closed 5-0-2 with a single goal allowed. 

Montana enters the postseason with five straight shutouts since Oct. 2, a 1-1 draw at Eastern Washington. The Grizzlies’ scoreless streak is at 532 minutes. 

Ditta was voted first-team All-Big Sky for the second time after scoring a career-high 6 goals; it was her penalty kick at Portland State that clinched UM’s third straight regular-season title. She was second-team as a sophomore. 

A late-season injury likely derailed Seelhoff’s chances of winning Offensive MVP honors; she still tied for first in the league in assists (6) and tied for second in goals with seven. 

Her 20 points are the most for a Grizzly since 2011. 

“That she got hurt midway through the conference season but made enough of an impact that coaches still voted her first-team all-conference shows you how good she was,”  Citowicki said. 

After playing one season at Purdue and one at Miami (Ohio), Smith became a primary starter at center back in her first season with the Grizzlies. 

Brisendine had three assists through the season’s opening six matches, then saw her goal numbers jump in league, scoring four times. 

“She just continues to get better and better,” Citowicki said of his forward from Glacier High in Kalispell. “It’s not only exciting for the future of the program, it’s exciting for the state to have someone be second-team all-conference and on the verge of lighting up the whole thing the next two years. 

“It says a lot about the state and the quality of player it can produce, from an Ashlyn to a Reagan, for them to be recognized in the conference like this.” 

Eastern Washington’s Delani Walker and Northern Arizona’s Micala Boex shared Co-Offensive MVP honors, while Weber State swept the Top Newcomer and Freshman of the Year honors and the Wildcats’ Kyle Christensen was voted Coach of the Year.  

The Wildcats went 3-22-10 the previous two seasons. In their first under Christensen, they went 11-6-1 and finished second behind Montana. 

Both Weber State and Montana have byes into the semifinals of the six-team Big Sky Tournament, which begins Wednesday at South Campus Stadium. 

The Grizzlies will play either Portland State or Idaho, who square off Wednesday, on Friday at 2 p.m. 

The championship match is Sunday at 1 p.m. 

2025 all-Big Sky Conference  

Co-Offensive MVP: Delani Walker (Eastern Washington), Micala Boex (Northern Arizona) 

Defensive MVP: Ally Henrikson (Montana) 

Goalkeeper of the Year: Ashlyn Dvorak (Montana) 

Freshman of the Year: Lauren Butorac (Weber State) 

Top Newcomer: Presley Ray (Weber State) 

Coach of the Year: Kyle Christensen (Weber State) 

First-Team

GK: Ashlyn Dvorak, Montana 

D: Izzy Thoma, Idaho 

D: Ally Henrikson, Montana 

D: Kalo Iongi, Portland State 

D: Bella Sackett, Weber State 

M: Annika Farley, Idaho 

M: Avery Ott, Northern Arizona 

M: Maddie Ditta, Montana 

M: Lily Blum, Weber State 

F: Delani Walker, Eastern Washington 

F: Chloe Seelhoff, Montana 

F: Grace Kirby, Weber State 

Second Team

GK: Natalie Cunningham, Portland State 

D: Iris Mattern, Eastern Washington 

D: Tess Livingston, Idaho State 

D: Makena Smith, Montana 

D: Taryn Rea, Northern Colorado 

M: Kendall Moore, Eastern Washington 

M: Valerie Llamas, Northern Arizona 

M: Grace Sarabia, Portland State 

M: Ellie Farber, Sacramento State 

F: Georgia Whitehead, Idaho 

F: Reagan Brisendine, Montana 

F: Micala Boex, Northern Arizona 

Honorable Mention  

GK: Kamryn Willoughby, Eastern Washington 

D: Riley Arribas, Eastern Washington 

D: Erin O’Connor, Northern Arizona 

D: Liv Frazier, Portland State 

D: Oakley Anderson, Weber State 

M: Koko Harris, Eastern Washington 

M: Sara Rodgers, Idaho 

M: Mary Za, Idaho State 

M: Tenzi Knowles, Weber State 

M: Brynlee Meyerhoffer, Weber State 

F: Ocean Rideout, Portland State 

F: Aliayha Saldana, Portland State 

F: Sayler Schlosser, Weber State 

Big Sky Soccer Tournament
South Campus Stadium, Missoula
Quarterfinals 

Wednesday, Nov. 5
Match 1: #3 E. Washington vs #6 No. Arizona, 11 a.m. (ESPN+)
Match 2: #4 Portland St. vs #5 Idaho, 2 p.m. (ESPN+)
Semifinals 

Friday, Nov. 7
Match 3: Winner of Match 1 vs #2 Weber St., 11 a.m. (ESPN+)
Match 4: Winner of Match 2 vs #1 Montana, 2 p.m. (ESPN+)

Championship 

Sunday, Nov. 9
Friday winners, 1 p.m. MT (ESPN+)