FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
December 4, 2013
SOUTH EASTON, Mass. – The National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) released its Longstreth Division II All-America Teams earlier this week, with five Northeast-10 Conference student-athletes earning First Team recognition, while 10 more were named to the Second Team.
Named to the NFHCA All-America First Team were LIU Post's Dani Crouse and Northeast-10 Player of the Year Carlee Dragon, who both helped lead the Pioneers to the national championship contest last month.
Stonehill College's Erika Kelly and Gina Sheehan also earned First Team distinction, as did Merrimack College's Jessica Otis. Otis (pictured) was also named the North Region Player of the Year.
Dragon secured All-America first-team recognition for the third consecutive year. The senior totaled 78 points on 31 goals and 16 assists. Her assist total topped the nation, while she held the second-best point and goal marks.
Crouse was a driving force for the Pioneers' program-best 21-1 season, as she solidified a defense that sported a nation-best scoring margin of 3.25, while limiting opponents to the country's second-best goals-against clip of 0.85. In the process, Crouse tallied 26 points, including the lone LIU Post goal in the national title contest.
Kelly led Division II with a program- and conference-record 38 goals to go with two assists for 78 points. Her 1.81 goals per game is a new Division II record while her 3.71 points per game led Division II and her point total shared the Division II lead.
Sheehan, who as named the Northeast-10 Defensive Player of the Year honors this fall, earns All-America honors for the first time in her career after also being named to the All-NE-10 first team. Sheehan led a Stonehill defensive unit which ranked fourth in the NE-10 and ninth nationally in Division II with a 1.78 team goals against average.
Otis, who was also named to the 2013 Northeast-10 All-Conference First Team, becomes the first player in school history to be named NFHCA Regional Player of the Year. She finished 2013 with 34 points (11 goals, 12 assists), ranking sixth nationally in assists per game and 13th in points per game.
Representing the Northeast-10 on the NFHCA All-America Second Team was Adelphi University's Molly Cuevas, American International College's Kori Huffman, LIU Post's Keliann Margiotta and Lyn-Marie Wilson, Merrimack's Katie Bishop, Sarah Dunbar and Candace Waldie, Southern Connecticut State University's Sarah Cebry and Stonehill's Devin Ingersoll and Emily Sideris.
The Northeast-10 Conference is an association of 15 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 6,000 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 in terms of sport sponsorship. 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.
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- Additional Information Provided by Northeast-10 Athletics Communications Staffs -
