Louisville's Top Performers of 2023-24

From Ashton Gillotte and Etienne Donnet to Jayden Ulrich and Anna DeBeer, there were several stand-out student-athletes from the University of Louisville this athletic season.

Louisville track & field athlete Jayden Ulrich / University of Louisville Athletics

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - The 2023-24 athletics season saw quite a few University of Louisville student-athletes experience a high level of individual success in their respective sport.

Many Cardinals were named First-Team All-ACC, a few garnered All-American recognition, while some had high finishes at the NCAA Championships.

With the current athletics season now completely in the books, here are the top individual performers from Louisville's 2023-24 athletic season:

Gabi Albiero - Women's Swimming & Diving

Once again, Albiero was arguably the top performer on the women's side of an elite swimming and diving program. At the NCAA Championships, she earned All-American honors in the 50-yard freestyle (21.67), the 100-yard freestyle (47.37), the 400-yard freestyle relay and the 200-yard freestyle relay. She also earned two silver medals and a bronze at the ACC Championships.

Olivia Cochran - Women's Basketball

A longtime anchor for the Cardinals, Cochran was a force down low in the post for Louisville. Her 6.6 rebounds per game led the team, while she was their runner-up in scoring at 10.8 points. She earned Second-Team All-ACC honors for her efforts.

Cara Cresse - Women's Volleyball

Cresse was an elite two-way player for the Cardinals this season. Not only did the middle blocker have the second-most blocks at 111, her hitting percentage of .440 was ranked No. 3 in the nation. She earned Third-Team AVCA All-American honors, and was a First-Team All-East Region plus Second Team All-ACC selection.

Anna DeBeer - Women's Volleyball

DeBeer was the driving force behind Louisville's run to the Elite Eight. The outside hitter was voted as a Second-Team AVCA All-American, the East Region Player of the Year and the ACC Player of the Year. She led the Cards in kills (392), points (438.5), and double doubles (12).

Etienne Donnet - Men's Tennis

Whether it was in singles or doubles, Donnet excelled on the court this season. He earned both an All-ACC Singles Second-Team nod, as well as an All-ACC Doubles Second-Team selection with Natan Rodrigues. On the singles circuit, he went 17-10 in the regular season, 11-9 in the spring, notched three ranked victories and climbed as high as No. 16 in the ITA rankings.

Mia Duchars - Field Hockey

Durchars posted her best ever season in college this past season, posting a career-best five assists. The midfielder earned Second-Team NFHCA All-American honors, and was an NFHCA First-Team All-West Region plus First-Team All-ACC pick.

Riley Frizell - Softball

Frizell was by far and away the Cardinals' best player this season. Her .337 batting average, .651 slugging percentage, 1.073 OPS, 13 home runs, 49 RBI and 108 total bases all led the team. She was a Third-Team All-ACC selection, and also captured First-Team NFCA All-Southeast Region honors.

Ashton Gillotte - Football

Gillotte was a force to be reckoned with for the Louisville defense. The defensive end collected 14.5 tackles for loss, 11.0 sacks, three forced fumbles and 45.0 tackles overall. His sack total led the ACC, and was good for eighth in the FBS. Gillotte was the runner-up in ACC Defensive Player of the Year voting, and earned multiple Second-Team All-American nods.

Bryan Hudson - Football

A multi-year starter on the offensive line, Hudson saved his best season for last. Despite battling a knee injury for over half the year, the center allowed just one sack, three quarterback hits and 10 quarterback hurries in 490 pass block snaps played and 927 total blocking snaps. He was named a First-Team All-ACC selection, and took home the Jacobs Blocking Trophy, which goes to the most outstanding blocker in the ACC.

Brandon Huntley-Hatfield - Men's Basketball

Louisville might have had a disappointing season on the hardwood, but it wasn't due to Huntley-Hatfield's efforts. As one of just two players to start all 32 games this past season, he finished as the Cardinals' second-leading scorer at 12.9 points per game, was their leading rebounder at 8.4 boards, and led the team in shooting with a 56.7 field goal percentage.

Kiki Jefferson - Women's Basketball

Jefferson certainly made her lone season with Louisville count. The James Madison transfer led the Cardinals in scoring at 12.3 points per game, and was second in assists and steals at 2.3 and 1.1, respectively. Like her teammate, Cochran, Jefferson also took home Second-Team All-ACC honors.

Damien Barker John - Men's Soccer

Barker John enjoyed a breakout year for the Cardinals this past season. The forward led the team with nine goals and 21 points, and registered three matches with multiple goals scored. Also adding three assists, he was a Second-Team All-ACC and Third-Team USC All-South Region selection.

Julie Kouijzer - Field Hockey

Kouijzer has been one of the best players for Louisville for a few seasons now, and that was no different this year. The defender earned her third-straight NFHCA All-America, being named to the First team this season. The defender helped Louisville post a 1.08 goals against average, which was fifth in the NCAA.

Sebastian Moss - Men's Golf

Moss had a consistently productive 2023-24 campaign. Not only did he shoot a team-best 71.75 average, he's the first player in school history to win back-to-back tournaments with victories at the Bearcat and Rod Myers Invitational. He took home All-ACC, PING Midwest Division I All-Region, and PING Honorable Mention All-American honors.

Kokoro Nakazawa - Women's Lacrosse

Nakazawa was Louisville's top offensive threat, and one of the best scorers in the ACC. Her 61 goals and 21 assists both led the Cardinals, with her goals mark being second in the ACC and 21st nationally. She was named to the IWLCA West/Midwest Region First-Team, and tabbed as a Second-Team All-ACC selection.

Nicole Perroni - Women's Lacrosse

A threat on offense and defense, Perroni was Louisville's best all-around player this season. She collected 45 goals and 10 assists and ended her collegiate career on a 54-game goal-scoring streak, while also tallying 44 caused turnovers, 73 draw controls, and 48 ground balls. She was a IWLCA Second Team All-American, an honorable mention All-American by USA Lacrosse and Inside Lacrosse, plus a First-Team IWLCA West/Midwest Region and First-Team All-ACC selection.

Else Praasterink - Women's Swimming & Diving

Building off of her incredible 2022-23 season, Praasterink also had some great performances this year as well. She finished fourth in the platform diving finals at the NCAA Championships, and posted a silver medal in the same event at the ACC Championships.

Christiana Regenauer - Women's Swimming & Diving

Like with Albiero, Regenauer's 2023-24 was full of elite performances. She took home All-American honors at the NCAA Championships in the 50-yard freestyle (21.48), 100-yard freestyle (47.20), 100-yard fly (51.05), 400-yard freestyle relay, 400-yard medley relay. She also won two bronze medals and a silver at the ACC Championships.

Natan Rodrigues - Men's Tennis

Along with his doubles partner, Etienne Donnet, Rodrigues came incredibly close to earning a national championship for Louisville. The duo were 13-4 in the spring regular season, with a 5-2 record against ranked competition. In the NCAA Doubles Championship, they advanced to the program's first ever semifinal appearance, earning ITA All-American accolades.

Sander Roed - Men's Soccer

Once again, Roed was a critical component in Louisville's success. He led the team with nine assists, which tied for the program's fourth-most in a single season, and also tallied five goals. Three goals came against Notre Dame in the ACC Tournament for Louisville's first hat trick since 2017. Like Barker John, he captured Second-Team All-ACC and Third-Team USC All-South Region honors.

Zion Rose - Baseball

In his first season at the collegiate level, Rose put on a show for Louisville. The catcher/outfielder led the Cardinals in batting average and on base percentage at .380 and .455, respectively, while also notching five home runs, 32 RBI, nine double, five triples, 19 walks and 10 steals. He would earn Freshman All-American honors from Perfect Game.

Elena Scott - Women's Volleyball

Louisville's defensive efforts were anchored by Scott. She was named a Second-Team AVCA All-American along with DeBeer, as well as a First Team AVCA All-East Region selection and the ACC Defensive Player of the Year. She led team and ACC in digs (523) and aces (35), and was second in assists (130).

Ilia Sibirtsev - Men's Swimming & Diving

Sibertsev had a strong showing in the NCAA and ACC Championships. In the 1650-yard freestyle at the NCAAs, he posted a time of 14:41.87, good for eighth to earn him All-American honors. At the ACCs, his 4:19.24 in the 500-yard freestyle earned him seventh, while his 14:58.70 in the 1650-yard freestyle got a sixth-place finish.

Brion Stephens - Men's Track & Field

Stephens was arguably the best track & field athlete for Louisville on the men's side. His 2.15m (7-0.5) high jump at the NCAA Indoor Championships earned him a tie for 11th place and Second-Team All-American honors, while he was the runner up at the ACC Indoor Championships with a high jump of 2.21m (7-3). He earned First-Team All-ACC and the silver medal in both Indoor and Outdoor, as well as an All-American honorable mention in the high jump.

Jayden Ulrich - Women's Track & Field

Ulrich has a very strong case as the best athlete that Louisville produced this season. She was the national runner-up at the NCAA Outdoor Championships in the women's discus with a mark of 63.05m, and was fourth in the shot put with a toss of 17.89m. At the NCAA Indoor Championships, her 17.62m shot put earned a sixth-place finish. In all, she was a USTFCCCA First-Team All-American in the Indoor and Outdoor shot put plus the Outdoor discuss, was the ACC's champion in the Indoor and Outdoor shot put plus the Outdoor discus.

(Photo of Jayden Ulrich via University of Louisville Athletics)

You can follow Louisville Report for future coverage by liking us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram:

Facebook - @LouisvilleReport
Twitter - @UofLReport
Instagram - @louisville_report

You can also follow Deputy Editor Matthew McGavic at @Matt_McGavic on Twitter