2011 Field Hockey Preview

Kelsey Amy
Penn State
Junior
Forward

Key Notes:
• 2010 second-team All-American
• Led team with 19 goals and 41 points last season

Megan Frazer
Maryland
Junior
Midfielder

Key Notes:
• 2010 All-American
• Scored winning goal in 2010 national title game

Martina Loncarica
Syracuse
Senior
Midfielder

Key Notes:
• 2010 All-American
• Syracuse’s all-time assists leader with 55

Paige Selenski
Virginia
Senior
Midfielder

Key Notes:
• 2010 All-American
• Led team in scoring for third consecutive season by tallying 27 goals
 

Linsey Fernandes American International 
Senior
Midfielder

Key Notes:
• 2010 All-American while starting 18 games
• Tied for team lead with five assists last season
 

Kristyn Grunza
Mansfield
Junior
Midfielder

Key Notes: 
• 2010 All-American
• Scored 12 goals and added six assists to
total team best 30 points in 2010 season

Annie Hansbury Massachusetts-Lowell
Senior
Defender

Key Notes:
• 2010 All-American (second team)
• Tallied four goals and
nine assists for 2010 national champions

Amanda Riley Bloomsburg
Senior
Forward

Key Notes:
• 2010 All-American
• Led team in goals (22), assists (16), and points (60) last season
 

Katie Herter
Bowdoin
Senior
Forward

Key Notes:
• 2010 second-team All-American and All-NESCAC 
• Scored five game-
winning goals

Kourtney Ehly
Messiah
Senior
Forward

Key Notes:
• 2010 All-American
• Scored 19 goals to earn All-Commonwealth Conference honors
• 60 career goals

Jocelyn Novak
Lebanon Valley
Senior
Forward

Key Notes:
• 2010 All-American
• ECAC Offensive
Player of the Year
• LVC’s all-time leader in points

Payson Sword
Trinity (Conn.)
Senior
Midfielder/Defender

Key Notes:
• 2010 second-team All-American and ECAC All-
New England
• Scored nine goals in 2010

Maryland Terrapins
Key Players: Megan Frazer (Junior, Midfielder), Jemma Buckley (Senior, Midfielder), Ali McEvoy (Sophomore, Defender) Harriet Tibble (Junior, Defender).

Notes: The defending champions are returning seven starters including the first-team All-American Frazer. The Terrapins also welcome four freshman and a transfer, Nikki Fernadez from Providence, to the 2011 squad. Maryland is led by 2010 National Coach of the Year Missy Meharg.

North Carolina Tar Heels
Key Players: Kelsey Kolojejchick (Junior, Midfielder), Caitlin Van Sickle (Sophomore, Defender),  Marta Malmberg (Sophomore, Midfielder/Defender), Katelyn Falgowski (Senior, Midfielder).

Notes: North Carolina looks to build off its national runner-up season by returning three All Americans. The Tar Heels are led by offensively Kolojejchick, who scored 15 goals and had 8 assists in 2010, and Van Sickle who tallied 12 goals of her own along with 6 assists.

Syracuse Orange
Key Players: Martina Loncarica (Senior, Midfielder), Heather Susek (Senior, Forward) Amy Kee (Junior, Forward), Laura Hahnefeldt (Sophomore, Defender).

Notes: The defending Big East champs look to be a serious title contender in 2011. The Orange return three All-Americans, including the three time All-American Loncarica. The Orange will rely on Loncarica to lead the way as she was named 2011 Big East Preseason Offensive Player of the Year.

Massachusetts-Lowell River Hawks
Key Players: Annie Hansbury (Senior, Defender), Melanie Hopkins (Sophomore, Goalkeeper), Kayla Littig (Senior, Defender) Sarah Wilcox (Junior, Defender).

Notes: UMass-Lowell, the defending national champions, will return two All-Americans. The River Hawks are led by Hopkins, an All-American goalkeeper, who as a freshman in 2010 had a NCAA Division II record 16 shutouts. The rising sophomore goalie had eight consecutive shutouts at one point last season and also held Shippensburg scoreless in the national title game.

Shippensburg Raiders
Key Players: Kristina Taylor (Senior, Forward), Ashley Taylor (Junior, Defender), Bre White (Sophomore, Forward), Katie Pufnock (Senior, Forward).

Notes: The Raiders will return three All-Americans including Kristina Taylor, the 2010 Division II Player of the Year. Shippensburg is bringing back six starters from last year’s team but will also add 10 freshmen to the squad for the upcoming campaign. The Raiders hope to take the next step after coming off a 21-win season and a heartbreaking loss in the national championship game.

Bloomsburg Huskies
Key Players: Amanda Riley (Junior, Midfielder) Betsy Renn (Junior, Defender) Julia Rush (Senior, Midfielder) Jenna DiSabatino (Sophomore, Forward).

Notes: Bloomsburg is returning seven starters from its 2010 team including three All-Americans, led by Riley who scored 22 goals and had 16 assists last season. The Huskies are coming off a 19-win campaign and NCAA semifinal appearance. Bloomsburg will have a chance to avenge its semifinal loss with an early rematch against Shippensburg.

Bowdoin Polar Bears
Key Players: Katie Herter (Senior, Forward), Ella Curren (Senior, Midfielder), Emily French (Senior, Midfielder), Cathleen Smith (Junior, Forward).

Notes: The defending champions are returning seven starters, including two All-Americans. They are led by All-American forward Katie Herter who posted 20 goals and six assists in 2010. Nicky Pearson, 2010 National Coach of the Year, will look to make the Polar Bears competitive following a 20-win season.

Messiah Falcons
Key Players: Kourtney Ehly (Senior, Forward), Juliana Hershey (Junior, Forward), Kelly Martin (Junior, Midfielder), Gina Kellet (Sophomore, Midfielder).

Notes: Messiah is coming off an impressive 19-win season and being the national runner-up in 2010. The Falcons are led by their All-American forward Kourtney Ehly who scored 19 goals and had 11 assists. Messiah will return five starters, but will also add five new freshmen to the squad.

Ursinus Bears
Key Players: Alyssa Thren (Senior, Forward), Rachel Pandl (Junior, Midfielder), Nicole Hanby (Senior, Defender), Jenna Stover (Sophomore, Midfielder/Defender).

Notes: Ursinus is coming off a national semifinal appearance. The Bears are led by forward Alyssa Thren who scored 34 goals and had 10 assists. In the offseason, Janelle Benner was promoted from assistant to head coach of Ursinus. Expectations will be high, after the Bears posted a 20-win season, and a 7-0 road record last season.

• Stacy Blue takes the helm at Lehigh this season. Blue is making the leap from Division II to Division I. Previously the head coach at American International, she led the Yellow Jackets to a 14-8 record and the program’s first appearance in the NCAA tournament.

• An ACC team has captured nine consecutive national titles as Maryland (2010, 2008, 2006, 2005), North Carolina (2009, 2007) and Wake Forest (2004, 2003, 2002) have all contributed to the conference’s streak. The last time a non-ACC team won the national title was Michigan in 2001.

• American’s Christine Fingerhuth, who graduated in 2010, has been nominated as the 2011 NCAA Women of the Year. The award honors distinguished graduating student-athletes who excel in athletics, academics, community service and leadership. She is one of only 142 student-athletes, across all three divisions, that have been nominated this year.

• Kristina Taylor, 2010 National Player of the Year, hopes to lead Shippensburg to a national championship this season. Taylor’s career record in three seasons at Shippensburg is 59-10. Taylor scored at least one goal in 15 different games last season. The Raiders boast a 38-1 record overall when Taylor scores at least one goal.

• Jennifer Angers is the new coach at American International. Before coming to AIC she was an assistant coach at Lehigh. Angers will have some pretty big shoes to fill as the Yellow Jackets are coming off the best season in program history in which they captured a record 14 wins and made their first NCAA tournament appearance.

• Lebanon Valley has hired Carol Miller as head coach. Miller coached 18 seasons at Delaware. While there, she took the Blue Hens to two national championship games. In 2009, Miller was named Division I National Coach of the Year. She looks to build on a 19-win season for Lebanon Valley.

• Clark forward Mel Melkonian hopes to top her 2010 season when she led the nation in points per a game (4.17). The All-American scored 32 goals and 11 assists in just 18 games.