FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
October 23, 2012
Regular Season Champion Merrimack Places Five on First Team
South Easton, Mass. – The University of Massachusetts Lowell's Rachel McCarthy has been named the 2012 Northeast-10 Conference Field Hockey Player of the Year following a vote by the conference's head coaches it was announced today.
McCarthy's teammate, Sarah Wilcox was awarded Northeast-10 Conference Defensive Player of the Year, while Merrimack College's Kerri Bergquist was named the Goalkeeper of the Year for the second consecutive season.
Adelphi University's Molly Cuevas was named the NE-10 Rookie of the Year, and Assumption College head coach Annie Lahey was named Coach of the Year following a vote by her peers.
The Northeast-10 Conference also announced its 2012 All-Conference First and Second teams Tuesday, as well as the All-Rookie Team. For the complete list of 2012 honorees, see below.
McCarthy helped lead the River Hawks to a 15-3 record during the regular season, including 8-2 in Northeast-10 Conference play. The high-scoring junior led the Northeast-10 in goals with 23 and was second in points with 52. McCarthy was also named a member of the Northeast-10 Conference First Team.
McCarthy helped spearhead a River Hawks' offensive attack that was second in the nation in scoring average with 4.20 goals per game. Individually, she ranks 3rd in the nation in points per game with 3.07, and tied for second nationally with 1.33 goals per game.
UMass Lowell's Sarah Wilcox was named the Northeast-10 Conference Defensive Player of the Year by the conference's coaches. Wilcox helped lead a defense that has only allowed 15 goals in 18 games so far this season, and held nine of their 18 opponents scoreless. Wilcox helped the River Hawks earn a berth in the upcoming NE-10 Championship, where UMass Lowell is seeded third and will host Stonehill College Wednesday night in the opening round.
Wilcox also helped out on the offensive end for the River Hawks, registering five goals and adding 13 assists, which currently leads the country. She was also named to the Northeast-10 First Team in addition to being named Defensive Player of the Year.
Merrimack's Bergquist was named the Conference's Goalkeeper of the Year for the second straight season. The senior helped the Warriors win their second straight regular season title and is currently among the conference's leaders in virtually every statistical category. Her .839 save percentage tops the NE-10 (and second nationally), while her 1.29 goals against average is second best in the league.
Bergquist, who has played every minute so far this season in net for Merrimack, has only allowed 22 goals in helping lead the Warriors to a 15-2 mark overall and 9-1 in Conference play. Bergquist was also placed on the NE-10 All-Conference First Team.
Adelphi University's Molly Cuevas was named the 2012 Northeast-10 Conference Rookie of the Year by the conference's head coaches. The high-scoring first year player, helped lead the Panthers to a 6-4 mark in NE-10 play, earning them the fourth seed in the upcoming Northeast-10 Championship which begins Wednesday. Adelphi will host Southern Connecticut State University in the opening round.
So far this season, Cuevas has tallied seven goals and added eight assists, giving her 22 points overall. She is currently leading the Adelphi offense in assists and points, while her seven goals place her second on the team. Cuevas has appeared in all 18 games for Adelphi, and helped turnaround their season after they opened the year losing eight straight games. The Panthers have won seven of their last ten outings heading into championship play.
Cuevas was also named a member of the conference's All-Rookie team, as well as being named a First Team selection.
Assumption College's Annie Lahey was honored as the 2012 Northeast-10 Conference Coach of the Year after leading the Greyhounds to an 8-10 overall record, 5-5 in NE-10 play. In just her second season in Worcester, Mass., Lahey led quite a turnaround as the Greyhounds finished with just one win in 2011.
Assumption's 5-5 mark in conference play put them in a tie for 5th place overall and was a four game improvement on last year's league record, but due to tiebreaking measures, the team did not qualify for postseason play. Lahey also coached two student-athletes that were named to NE-10 All-Conference Second Team: Paige Anderson and Kiley Colucci.
Also, announced on Thursday, were the All-Conference First and Second Teams, as well as the NE-10's All-Rookie Team.
Merrimack led all teams with five student-athletes named to the Northeast-10 Conference First Team, with UMass Lowell placing second with three First Team selections.
The Northeast-10 is an association of 16 NCAA Division II colleges and universities located in New England and New York that is committed to supporting balanced academic and athletic opportunities for more than 5,500 student-athletes. Each year, 4,000 of those student-athletes compete in Conference championships in 23 sports, making the NE-10 the largest DII conference in the country. Leading the way in the classroom, on the field and within the community, the Northeast-10 is proud of its comprehensive program and the experience it provides student-athletes.
2012 Northeast-10 Conference Field Hockey First
Team
Name School Year Position Hometown
Molly Cuevas Adelphi Freshman Midfield San Jose, Calif.
Beth Maguire Bentley Senior Forward Medfield, Mass.
Melissa Effertz UMass Lowell Junior Forward Oceanside, Calif.
Rachel McCarthy UMass Lowell Junior Forward Reading, Mass.
Sarah Wilcox UMass Lowell Senior Defense Old Town, Maine
April Daugherty Merrimack Senior Forward Wakefield, R.I.
Jen Otis Merrimack Senior Midfield Penacook, N.H.
Jessica Otis Merrimack Junior Mid. / For. Pittsford, N.Y.
Kerri Bergquist Merrimack Senior Goalkeeper Mashpee, Mass.
Candace Waldie Merrimack Junior Forward North Andover, Mass.
Sarah Cebry So. Connecticut Junior Forward Burlington, Conn.
Devin Ingersoll Stonehill Junior Midfield Londonderry, N.H.
2012 Northeast-10 Conference Field Hockey Second Team
Name School Year
Position Hometown
Cassie Cabral Adelphi Senior Forward Sayville, N.Y.
Kristine Puzio Adelphi Senior Goalkeeper Holbrook, N.Y.
Emilee Rahner Adelphi Senior Defense Setauket, N.Y.
Paige Anderson Assumption Sophomore Forward Suffield, Conn.
Kiley Colucci Assumption Freshman Midfield Gloucester, R.I.
Lisa Duckles American Int'l Senior Midfield Netcong, N.J.
Melissa Martorelli Bentley Junior Defense Holmdel, N.J.
Meghan Talerman Bentley Freshman Mid./ For. Centerville, Mass.
Bianca Jones UMass Lowell Sophomore Midfield Watertown, Mass.
Elizabeth Sears Saint Anselm Junior Forward Danvers, Mass.
Erin Brien Saint Michael's Senior Defense Nahant, Mass.
Randi Schock So. Connecticut Senior Back Stamford, Conn.
Emily Sideris Stonehill Sophomore Forward Watertown, Mass.
2012 Northeast-10 Conference Field Hockey All Rookie Team
Name School Position
Hometown
Molly Cuevas Adelphi Midfield San Jose, Calif.
Kiley Colucci Assumption Midfield Gloucester, R.I.
Meghan Talerman Bentley Mid./ For. Centerville, Mass.
Katrina Squeri Merrimack Mid./ For. Chelmsford, Mass.
Christine Zubkus Merrimack Midfield Dover, N.H.
Audrey Dolloff So. Connecticut Goalkeeper Raynham, Mass.
Erika Kelly Stonehill Forward Watertown, Mass.
Player of Year – Rachel
McCarthy, UMass Lowell
Goaltender of the Year – Kerri
Bergquist, Merrimack
Defensive Player of the Year –
Sarah Wilcox, UMass Lowell
Rookie of the Year – Molly Cuevas,
Adelphi
Coach of the Year – Annie Lahey,
Assumption
-NE-10-
