Jestrovic, O'Brien Earn All-Big West Preseason Honors
8/5/2026 9:19:00 AM | Women's Soccer
IRVINE, Calif. – Graduate goalkeeper Mikayla O'Brien and senior forward Anja Jestrovic have been named to the 2026 All-Big West Women's Soccer Preseason Team, the conference announced Wednesday morning.
The duo enters California Baptist's first season in the Big West after helping lead the Lancers to back-to-back conference championships and will be key pieces as CBU looks to make another title run in 2026.
O'Brien and Jestrovic both earned All-WAC First Team and WAC All-Tournament Team honors last season. O'Brien added WAC Goalkeeper of the Year recognition after recording 88 saves, the sixth-highest single-season total in program history. The graduate goalkeeper has also earned national recognition this preseason, landing on multiple watch lists ahead of the 2026 campaign.
"I'm truly honored to be selected to the Big West Preseason Team," said senior forward/midfielder Anja Jestrovic. "This recognition means a lot because one of my biggest motivations throughout last season was proving to others—and most importantly to myself—that I could compete at this level. At the same time, none of this would have been possible without my teammates and coaches, who believed in me and put their trust in me every step of the way."
Jestrovic continued to establish herself as one of the conference's top attacking players in 2025, finishing second on the team with eight goals while leading the Lancers with eight assists. She also posted the team's highest shot-on-goal percentage at 27.6%.
"Very happy for Anja and Mikayla to be recognized and named to the 2026 All-Big West Preseason Team," said head coach Kristen St. Clair. "They both played important roles in our team's back-to-back championship run last season. This is a well-deserved honor."
Along with the preseason team, the Big West also released its preseason coaches' poll. The Lancers were picked to finish sixth among the conference's 12 teams, just one point behind UC Irvine.
CBU opens the 2026 season on Aug. 12 with a road match at California before beginning Big West play on Sept. 23 at Cal Poly. The Lancers will look to outperform the preseason projections as they pursue a third consecutive conference championship.
The full Big West Preseason Poll can be viewed here, while the complete 2026 All-Big West Preseason Team is listed below.
The duo enters California Baptist's first season in the Big West after helping lead the Lancers to back-to-back conference championships and will be key pieces as CBU looks to make another title run in 2026.
O'Brien and Jestrovic both earned All-WAC First Team and WAC All-Tournament Team honors last season. O'Brien added WAC Goalkeeper of the Year recognition after recording 88 saves, the sixth-highest single-season total in program history. The graduate goalkeeper has also earned national recognition this preseason, landing on multiple watch lists ahead of the 2026 campaign.
"I'm truly honored to be selected to the Big West Preseason Team," said senior forward/midfielder Anja Jestrovic. "This recognition means a lot because one of my biggest motivations throughout last season was proving to others—and most importantly to myself—that I could compete at this level. At the same time, none of this would have been possible without my teammates and coaches, who believed in me and put their trust in me every step of the way."
Jestrovic continued to establish herself as one of the conference's top attacking players in 2025, finishing second on the team with eight goals while leading the Lancers with eight assists. She also posted the team's highest shot-on-goal percentage at 27.6%.
"Very happy for Anja and Mikayla to be recognized and named to the 2026 All-Big West Preseason Team," said head coach Kristen St. Clair. "They both played important roles in our team's back-to-back championship run last season. This is a well-deserved honor."
Along with the preseason team, the Big West also released its preseason coaches' poll. The Lancers were picked to finish sixth among the conference's 12 teams, just one point behind UC Irvine.
CBU opens the 2026 season on Aug. 12 with a road match at California before beginning Big West play on Sept. 23 at Cal Poly. The Lancers will look to outperform the preseason projections as they pursue a third consecutive conference championship.
The full Big West Preseason Poll can be viewed here, while the complete 2026 All-Big West Preseason Team is listed below.
| Student-Athlete | Year | School |
|---|---|---|
| Radisson Banks | Sr. | Long Beach State |
| Emily Caughey | Sr. | UC Santa Barbara |
| Josie Clawson | R-Jr. | Utah Valley |
| Haley Clingan | Jr. | UC Irvine |
| Cherri Cox | Sr. | Long Beach State |
| Camryn Cruz | Sr. | Cal State Fullerton |
| Anja Jestrovic | Sr. | California Baptist |
| Sydney Lipkin | Jr. | CSUN |
| Mikayla O'Brien | Gr. | California Baptist |
| Mia Owens | Sr. | Utah Valley |
| Annika Smith | Sr. | Cal Poly |
Players Mentioned
F/M
/ Women's Soccer
GK
/ Women's SoccerMonday, September 01
Tuesday, November 12
Wednesday, August 28
Friday, November 03
