Parent Earns Worcester State’s First Longstrength/NFHCA Division III All-American Honors; Her and Sutherland Named to Synapse Sports All-American Teams

Longstrength/NFHCA Division III All-American Teams | Synapse Sports All-American Teams | Worcester State All-Americans

WORCESTER, Mass. –Michaila Parent (Westborough, Mass.) and Hayley Sutherland (Tewksbury, Mass.) have both earned Worcester State University's first-ever All-American field hockey honors, as announced by the Longstrength/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) and Synapse Sports this week.

Parent, a junior forward, has been named to both the Longstrength/NFHCA and Synapse Sports All-American teams. She earned a spot on the Lonstrength/NFHCA All-American Third Team, and also marked a spot on the Synapse Sports All-American Second Team.

"We are so excited to see Michaila honored by the NFHCA as an All-American selection," commented head coach Alexa Carlson.  "She worked very hard in the off-season to take her game to the next level and it really showed during her junior season. She is the fastest player in our league and she really learned to utilize her skill and speed cohesively this season."

Parent completed the 2017 field hockey season ranked 3^rd nationally in assists per game (0.79), 7^th nationally in points per game (3), and 18^th nationally in goals per game (1.11). In total, she collected program-record totals of 21 goals and 15 assists for 57 points. With her numbers, she earned numerous accolades where she headlined the Little East Conference (LEC) First-Team with LEC Offensive Player of the Year Laurels. She also was named to the NFHCA New England West All-Region First-Team, which was announced last week.

"Michaila is a student of the game and never settles for less than her best," said Carlson.  "She has an incredible knowledge of the game and always knows what she needs to do to help the team be successful. She is very deserving of this honor and I am confident her senior season will be another impressive campaign for our program."

Sutherland, a senior defender, has been named to the Synapse Sports All-American Third-Team after being named the LEC Defensive Player of the Year and also earning a spot on the NFHCA New England West All-Region First-Team. She anchored a defense that allowed just 10 goals over 11 regular season conference games and contributed four goals and three assists for 11 points this season.

"Hayley was the glue to our backfield," expressed Carlson.  "She has incredible vision of the field and always knew how to find the open lanes on the field."

"She is extremely communicative and was a leader both on and off the field for us this season," stated Carlson.  "She has great individual skills and understands the tactical aspects of the game better than many athletes. She was always looking to improve this season and although she battled through many injuries she still found success in the backfield."

This season, the Worcester State University field hockey team earned its first-ever LEC regular season title as the Lancers stood at 15-4 overall and 10-1 in conference play under the direction of second-year head coach, Carlson. This also marks the Blue and Gold's second consecutive season that they earned at least a share of the MASCAC regular season championship.