Little East Conference Announces 2015 Field Hockey Major Awards and All-Conference Teams

Pawtucket, RI-Little East Conference Commissioner Cora Brumley is pleased to announce the 2015 Field Hockey All-Conference teams and major award-winners.

The LEC saw three regular season field hockey champions in Plymouth State, Keene State and UMass Dartmouth, all of which finished the regular season with a 9-2 record in the conference.  Keene State defeated Eastern Connecticut in the LEC tournament championship final by a score of 2-1, earning the automatic birth to the NCAA Division III Field Hockey National Championship.  The Owls host Husson University, winners of the NAC tournament, on Wednesday November 11, 2015 in first round action.

The Offensive Player of the Year for the LEC is Keene State forward Sami Smith (Merrimack, N.H.).  The 5’5” Junior has amassed impressive stats in her third campaign with the LEC tournament champion Owls, scoring 24 goals with six assists for 54 points on the season.  Smith has a .235 shooting percentage overall (.259 in the LEC) with six game winning goals, five of those coming in conference action.  She headlines both the goals and points categories in the LEC, 11 more goals than the next contender and 24 points ahead of the second-place points leader.

The Defensive Player of the Year is Hunter Carden (Branford, Conn.) from UMass Dartmouth. The 5’3” Junior anchored the Corsairs Defense this season for the third year. Carden has five goals and four assists for 14 points on the season. She was credited with three defensive saves, two in conference action.   Carden was also named LEC Defensive Player of the Week on September 14^th.

LEC Rookie of the Year honors Fitchburg State’s Molly Richard (Leominster, Mass.).  The 5’2” freshman had an impressive first season with the Falcons, tallying 12 goals and five assists for 29 points.  She netted five game winners and converted her lone penalty stroke opportunity.  Richard took 105 shots on the year and started all 20 games for the Falcons.

Her peers have selected Eastern Connecticut State University Head Coach Christine Hutchison as Coach of the Year for the 2015 season.  Leading the Warriors to a 13-7 campaign, including the LEC Championship game, Hutchinson had much success in her 10^th season at the helm.  She has coached more years and matches and has compiled more wins than any previous coach in the program's 18-year history and had an impressive class of 20 returning players for the 2015 campaign. 

First Team All-Conference selections from Keene State College, forward Sami Smith, midfielder Kayla Renaud and defender Marita Brothers.  Representing UMass Dartmouth is forward Jill Levrault, midfielder Emily Anderson, and defender Hunter Carden.  Plymouth State honorees include forward Nicole Burgess, Eileen Crutchfield, and Goalkeeper Alivia Bates, the 2014 LEC Rookie of the Year.  Forward Julie O’Rourke from Worcester State, midfielder Laura Chicorka from Eastern Connecticut and Goalkeeper Amanda Kasbohm from Southern Maine round out the first team selections.

Second Team All-Conference honorees include forwards Brittney Field from Bridgewater State University, Alex Kallgren and Hannah Keiser of ECSU, and Holly Brouillette from Westfield State.  Midfield selections feature Katie Martin from PSU, Allison Ward of Southern Maine, and Hayley Sutherland from Worcester State.  Additional Second Team award winners are defenders Mackenzie Brower from ECSU, Fitchburg’s Kelly Luttazi, Southern Maine’s Jessica Boghosian, Megan Ripke of Worcester State and keeper Meaghan Dwyer from Keene State.

Rounding out the accolades, Third Team All-Conference selections honor forwards Julia Gimenez and Molly Richard of Fitchburg State, Taylor Ledwith from Worcester State.  Midfield players named to the third-team include Brittany Cullinane of Bridgewater State, Caroline Daubitz from UMass Dartmouth and Jenny Cappello from Western Connecticut.  Janet Maher from Bridgewater State, Ali Laude from UMass Dartmouth, Delaney Gembis from Westfield State are named to the Third Team Defense.  Rounding out the selections is goalkeeper Kristy Trotta from Western Connecticut.

Formed in 1986, the Little East serves as New England's premier athletic conference for public institutions in NCAA Division III. Featuring 19 championship sports, the Little East sponsors quality competition in every season for our student athletes. Our eight state colleges and universities dedicate themselves to an ongoing fulfillment of the Division III mission of passion, responsibility, sportsmanship, and citizenship.

Release Courtesy of Little East Conference Communications

2015 Little East Conference

Field Hockey All-Conference Teams