MIAMI - Sophomore defender Katrina Rose and senior midfielder Amy Jackson were named to 2009 NSCAA South Region team. Rose was selected to the Second Team while Jackson secured a Third Team nod, becoming the first Golden Panthers to earn all-region distinction since 2000.

After playing most of her freshman year with an injury, Rose underwent surgery this past off-season that required seven months recovery time. In her sophomore year, she emerged as the team's second-leading scorer with five goals en route to All-Sun Belt Conference First Team distinction.

She started in 17 of 19 games and played an instrumental role in all six of FIU's shutouts. She was also named the SBC Player of the Week for the first time of her career this season after helping FIU blank Denver as centerback of the defense. In the same weekend, she became the first conference player to score on North Texas this year and dished her first career assist in the contest, kicking off a four-game streak of tallying at least one point.

Jackson, who was called up to the Australian Senior National Team twice this past summer, was considered the team's most valuable player and finished her three-year career by garnering All-SBC Second Team accolades. She assisted the game-winning goal versus North Florida on Sept. 13 and netted the game-winning goal in overtime at Troy on Oct. 18 to keep FIU's record-breaking win streak alive. Her game-winning goal against Florida Atlantic on Oct. 30 clinched the Golden Panthers' first SBC regular season title since 2000. For her efforts on Senior Night, she was awarded Sun Belt Player of the Week for the first time in her career.

"With all that Katrina has gone through, we're extremely happy for her, and we hope to see her continue to improve in the next two years. With hard work, she has a great future ahead of her," Coach Thomas Chestnutt said. "As for Amy, we couldn't have asked for a better teammate. Her spirit and performance on the field was a big part of our success.

"In the bigger picture, without the team's hard work and commitment, the recognition of Katrina and Amy surely would not have been possible. It's a testament to the dedication that that team put forth this past year, and hopefully next year we might be able to get a few more players recognized."