LA MIRADA, Calif. --- Five Biola Eagles from Head Coach Erin Brunelle's roster appeared on the three All-PacWest teams released by the conference office Wednesday afternoon.

Four of the recipients earned the first all-conference honors of their careers, including Biola's two First Team student-athletes in junior Sarah Jeffries and freshman Katelyn Penner, while defender Colie Martin followed up her All-PacWest third team selection in 2017 with another this year.

The conference coaches also recognized juniors Annmarie Alvarez and Hali Oakes with all-conference honors for their impressive levels of effort at positions that were key in helping Biola to a winning PacWest record this season.

Jeffries was as close to a shoo-in as Biola had for an all-conference selection thanks to her ability to be a leading threat to opposing defenses night in and night out. In addition to finishing in the PacWest top-five for points, Jeffries led the Eagles in all offensive categories: goals (six), assists (five), shots (50) and shots-on-goal (29). And that all comes from Jeffries evident improvement this year in her ability to win the ball at any place on the field while also presenting a scoring threat from up to 30 yards away from goal.

"Sarah's work rate was a driving force for us all season long and her commitment on the defensive side of the ball played a major role in helping our attack," said Brunelle. "She has the ability to run past players with the ball and has tremendous confidence in herself to be a scoring threat every time she touches the ball. She was our most productive player on the score sheet game after game, but the defensive work that she does is what impresses me the most. We look forward to continuing to mold her as a dangerous attacker and will do all we can to help her surpass any and all expectations next season."

The Eagles were also thrilled to see the midfielder Penner earn First Team honors after starting all 18 of Biola's matches and playing almost 1,600 as a true freshman. Penner recorded both of her goals and all three of her assists against PacWest opponents, with six of her seven points coming in road matches, and scored a game-winner with one minute left in the first overtime against Academy of Art when ARTU was previously undefeated at home.

"Katelyn had a wonderful freshman season with us and was a vital player for our squad from day one," said Brunelle. "Throughout the recruiting process, we knew we were going to rely on her ability a lot during her first season  She grew in confidence each game and adapted well to the pace and physicality of the college game. She covers so much ground all over the field and consistently won the ball back for us in the midfield. She scored some clutch goals for us this season, and also created numerous dangerous attacks out of the midfield. We look forward to the chemistry she will continue to develop with the players around her in order to continue to pull the strings in each game. I'm so happy that the rest of the conference agreed that she was one of the best midfielders in the conference this season."

Like Jeffries and Penner, Annmarie Alvarez left an impact on many PacWest opponents with her physical strength on the ball and her scoring success. Alvarez had two multi-goal games and two game-winning goals mixed into her six total scores and three assists and regularly used her strength and physicality to win or hold the ball for Biola to earn second team all-conference honors on Wednesday.

"Annie was a warrior for us all season long, stepping into a more prominent attacking role for us," said Brunelle. "She is an emotional and physical player, and at her best, she helped fuel the desire and intensity of our squad. Her scoring and assists came in bunches this season, but she was motivated and determined to score in every game. We look forward to helping her become a more consistent threat in each and every game she plays. Annie has had to battle through adversity throughout her career, and this has allowed her to grow in her strength in the Lord and courage overall."

Biola also came into the season knowing it would expect a lot from Colie Martin and Hali Oakes with the graduation of a lot of seniors who played the positions around them. Martin picked right back up where she left off after winning an NCCAA National Championship with Biola in 2017 by being the same durable and speedy left back that covered every inch of ground up and down her sideline.

"Colie was our only returning starter to the back-five this season and was challenged with defending some of the best wide attackers in the conference. She stepped up to the task and still managed to get forward out of the back to help us in the attack," said Brunelle. "As our team gets better defensively, we look forward to adding even more of her dangerous attacking runs back into the game. There were numerous notable defenders in the conference this year, so for Colie to be recognized says a lot about her contribution to our team and ability to stand out amongst the other defenders around the conference."

Oakes was named All-PacWest third team along with Martin after playing a team-high 1,637 minutes in 2018. She served as a team captain this year in a crucial holding midfield position for Biola's system since Oakes was tasked with helping the ball move quickly across the field in attack while also chasing down opposing attackers when they found space above the penalty area.

"Hali has been our unsung hero for the past two seasons, and I'm so pleased to see her receive recognition from the conference. Defensive midfielders are rarely noticed in games, as the work they do all game long never shows up on a score sheet," said Burnelle. "Hali helped maintain possession in the midfield, relieved pressure by spraying the ball to the wide areas, and too many times to count would be seen chasing players down at a full sprint in the late stages of the game. Her determination and ability to push through pain and fatigue to get the job done has been vital to our squad for the past two seasons.

"Hali excels at nearly everything she does, be it academically, athletically, relationally, or spiritually. She gives constant praise and glory to God and I know she will humbly be giving all credit to God for this award."

Biola will return all five of its All-PacWest selections, along with the rest of its roster, for the 2019 season. The Eagles will also be eligible for NCAA postseason play for the first time in 2019.