COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – Five members of the Saint Anselm field hockey team were named to the National Field Hockey Coaches' Association Division II All-East Region Teams, the organization announced Wednesday. The Hawks' five selections were the most out of any team from the Northeast 10 Conference.
Leading the way for the Hawks is senior Millie Forster, who was named the conference's Defensive Player of the Year and earned a spot on the NE10 All-Conference First Team as well as the NFHCA All-East Region First Team. Joining her on the First Team is sophomore Meghan Carey. Senior Marissa Politano, junior Laurentien van den Akker, and junior goalkeeper Mackenzie Wehrum were all named to the Second Team.
Forster earned First-Team recognition after a stellar season that earned her the NE10 Defensive Player of the Year award, becoming the fifth to earn this award in program history. After being named to the NFHCA Division II Preseason Watchlist, Forster led a stout defensive unit that lead the Hawks to their 10th consecutive NE10 Championship appearance as they secured their third title. Throughout the season, Forster earned two NE10 Defensive Player of the Week awards as the Hawks recorded nine shutouts in 22 games. Forster started in all 22 games for the Hawks as a senior back and helped limit opponents to 1.05 goals per game, while also adding five goals and two assists on the offensive end. Forster's NFHCA First-Team nod comes after earning her third NE10 All-Conference nod of her career and being named to the NFHCA Division II Senior Team.
Carey was also named to the First Team after a breakout season as a sophomore, scoring seven goals and adding one assist after only tallying one point as a freshman. Carey came through in the clutch for the Hawks, recording two game-winning goals including a double-overtime stunner to defeat NE10 rival Bentley University in a conference matchup on Oct. 22.
Leading the Second Team nods is Politano, who closed out her senior year by tying her career-high in goals (five) and recording a career-best seven assists while starting all 22 games. Politano also exhibited a clutch factor, notching a game-winning goal in a non-conference victory over Bentley on Sep. 10.
van den Akker saw an increased role for the Hawks this season, earning Second Team recognition after making 21 starts, up from one the previous season. She earned her first NE10 weekly award on Nov. 3, being named NE10 Defensive Player of the Week after a 2-0 shutout win over crosstown rival Southern New Hampshire University to close out the regular season. She also earned NE10 All-Conference recognition in addition to her All-Region status.
Wehrum put together an impressive junior season to earn Second Team honors, with her .791 save percentage ranking fourth in the NE10 and her 0.74 goals against average being the best in the conference. She recorded eight solo shutouts and one combined shutout throughout the season and earned a National Defensive Player of the Week award after leading the Hawks to a 3-0 week in NE10 Championship play, en route to a return to the NCAA Championship. Wehrum recorded 11 saves in the week and shut out Adelphi University in a double-overtime victory in the conference semifinal round to capture the award.
The NFHCA will announce its selections for Regional Players of the Year on Dec. 11 and will name All-American Teams on December 16.
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