One of the most decorated members of the soccer team in program history, senior Kaitie Shipley was an easy choice as the Golden Eagles’ Woman of the Year, constantly serving as a shining example of what Tennessee Tech student-athletes should aspire to.

A starting defender in each of the past two seasons, she never left the soccer pitch, playing every minute while earning All-OVC First Team honors both seasons as a team captain. Named Team MVP in 2018, Shipley followed up her junior campaign with another stellar season, scoring two goals while anchoring a Tech defensive unit that finished in the top-five in the OVC in goals allowed and goals-against average during league play.

As talented as the Barrie, Ontario native was on the pitch, she was even more eye-popping the classroom, accumulating a perfect, 4.0 GPA while staying on track to graduate in May with her degree in exercise science/physical wellness with a concentration in fitness and wellness and a minor in science. She has earned Athletic Director’s Honor Roll honors each of her seven semesters, OVC Commissioner’s Honor Roll accolades each of her three years and the OVC’s Medal of Honor three times.

Last year, Shipley was awarded the OVC Scholar-Athlete Award, the most prestigious individual honor presented by the conference to a student-athlete. She has twice been selected as a member of the Google Cloud Academic All-District Team and was honored with the Exercise Science Department’s Horizon Award and Challenger Physical Education Award.

A member of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee, she also served as one of only 15 Tennessee Tech students on the TTU Advisory Council for Education. Additionally, Shipley was a member of the EXPW Majors Club and served as a tutor for Tech Athletics. She accounted for countless hours of volunteer activities in the local community, including assisting with the Next Step Mission, Cookeville Shelter, Cookeville Rescue Mission, and the Putnam County tornado cleanup efforts, just to name a few.

Shipley represented the seventh member of the Golden Eagle soccer team to be named Woman of the Year, and the fourth in the past six years, joining the likes of Lauren Brewer (2018), Taylor Blazei (2016) and Katie Phillips (2015).