PENSACOLA BEACH, Fla. — For the third consecutive year, Lee University had a student athlete earn the prestigious Gulf South Commissioner Trophy. The GSC honored all of its 2023-24 Top Ten award winners on Thursday evening in Pensacola Beach, Fla.

Dirkse is the third recipient in the last four years, and sixth all-time winner for Lee. Beck Burnette won in 2022 and 2021. Celine Ritter also won back-to-back times in 2021 and 2022. Summer Lanter, who was also a Lady Flames soccer player, won the award in 2018.

Sam Wilhelm from the University of Alabama in Huntsville, won the men's award.

Overall, the Flames have now won six commissioner's trophies which ties members University of West Georgia. Delta State, Valdosta State, and the University of North Alabama each have 13 winners.

The Commissioner's Trophy is the most prestigious honor bestowed by the conference, which is presented annually to the student-athlete who best combines outstanding performance on the field or court and high academic achievement in the classroom with significant community service and extracurricular activities. The league initiated the men's award during the 1974-75 academic year, and added the women's award in the 1982-83 season.

Kate Dirkse Profile
Women's Soccer
Finance & Accounting

Academic Achievements
• Four-time GSC Honor Roll
• Two-time GSC All-Academic Team
• 2024 GSC Women's Soccer Champion Scholar-Athlete
• 2024 United Soccer Coaches Academic All-American
• 2024 College Sports Communicators Academic All-District
• Chi Alpha Sigma member – National Student-Athlete Honor Society

Athletic Achievements
• Team captain and five-year letterwinner for the Lady Flames
• 2023 D2CCA First Team All-American
• 2023 First Team All-Region (D2CCA, United Soccer Coaches)
• 2023 First Team All-GSC
• 2023 GSC Defensive Player of the Year
• Helped Lee win two tournament titles (2021, '23) and a regular season title (2021) 
• United Soccer Coaches Second Team All-American (2022)
• D2CCA First Team All-Region & Third Team All-American (2022)
• Two-time GSC All-Tournament Team

Community Service/Extracurricular
• On-Campus Tutor
• Volunteered at Lee University Preview
• Volunteered with School of Business, spoke to several classes
• Austin Hatcher Foundation 
• Read at local elementary schools
• Spoke to elementary schools about women in business