MAAC Announces 2017 Field Hockey All-MAAC Teams & Major Awards
WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) announced its 2017 Field Hockey All-MAAC Teams and major award winners. The conference award recipients were honored at the annual field hockey banquet this evening.
The MAAC Rookie of the Year is Tamar Klinkhammer from Monmouth University. Klinkhammer contributed both offensively & defensively for the Hawks in her first season. She led all freshmen with six goals this season, which was ninth best in the conference. Her three-game winning goals are tied for first in the MAAC. Klinkhammer was named MAAC Rookie of the Week three times this season.
Rider University’s Lena Vandam and Sacred Heart University’s Hailey Power are the MAAC Field Hockey Co-Goalkeeper of the Year.Vandam led the conference in shutouts (5) and save percentage (.778). The freshman ranked second in goals against average with a 1.51 mark. Her 98 total saves is third best in the MAAC while her 5.44 saves per game average is fourth-best in the MAAC. Sacred Heart University’s Hailey Power earns Co-Goalkeeper of the Year honors with Vandam, both of whom are freshmen. Power ranked second in the MAAC with a .748 save percentage and fourth in the MAAC with 4.68 saves per game.
The Co-Defensive Player of the Year are Erin Buckley of Fairfield University and Julie Laszlo of Monmouth University Buckley, the Stags senior defender helped anchor a back line that only allowed seven goals to opponents in conference play. Buckely earns All-MAAC First Team honors for the second consecutive season. Laszlo repeats as defensive player of the year for the Hawks. Contributing on both sides of the ball, Laszlo and the Monmouth defense only allowed six goals to opponents in MAAC play and 22 all season. Monmouth led the MAAC with a 1.29 goals allowed per game average. The senior also recorded two defensive saves this season.
Josephine van der Hoop of Monmouth University is the MAAC Offensive Player of the Year. Van der Hoop ranked third in the MAAC with 29 oerall points and 1.71 points per game. Her 12 total goals and 0.71 goals per game are second best in the MAAC. The sophomore was a unanimous selection for this award.
The 2017 MAAC Field Hockey Player of the Year is Julie Laszlo from Monmouth University. Laszlo repeats as MAAC Field Hockey Player of the Year after leading the conference in points (39), points per game (2.29), total assists (23) and assists per game (1.35). Her 23 assists and 1.35 assists per game are best in the NCAA. Her eight goals this season ranks fifth in the MAAC.
The 2017 MAAC Field Hockey Coach of the year is Kyle DeSandes-Moyer from LIU Brooklyn. The Blackbirds were 4-2 in MAAC play and earned the number two overall seed in this year’s championship. Under first-year head coach DeSandes-Moyer, the Blackbirds recorded their first conference and first overall wins as a varsity program this season.
| Major Award Winners |
| Name |
Award |
Institution |
| Josephine van der Hoop |
Offensive Player of the Year |
Monmouth |
| Erin Buckley |
Co-Defensive Player of the Year |
Fairfield |
| Julie Laszlo |
Co- Defensive Player of the Year |
Monmouth |
| Julie Laszlo |
Player of the Year |
Monmouth |
| Tamar Klinkhammer |
Rookie of the Year |
Monmouth |
| Lena Vandam |
Co-Goalkeeper of the Year |
Rider |
| Hailey Power |
Co-Goalkeeper of the Year |
Sacred Heart |
| Kyle DeSandes-Moyer |
Coach of the Year |
LIU Brooklyn |
| All-MAAC First Team |
| Name |
Position |
Institution |
| Allison Baligian |
Forward |
Rider |
| Kelly Hanna |
Forward |
Monmouth |
| Josephine van der Hoop |
Forward |
Monmouth |
| Meg Donahue |
Midfield |
Monmouth |
| Georgia Garden Bachop |
Midfield |
Monmouth |
| Nichole Tolli |
Midfield |
Sacred Heart |
| Floor van Dommelen |
Defense |
Bryant |
| Erin Buckley |
Defense |
Fairfield |
| Tamar Klinkhammer |
Defense |
Monmouth |
| Julie Laszlo |
Defense |
Monmouth |
| Melissa Cunningham |
Defense |
Rider |
| Hailey Power |
Goalkeeper |
Sacred Heart |
| Lena Vandam |
Goalkeeper |
Rider |
| All-MAAC Second Team |
| Name |
Position |
Institution |
| Victoria Newbill |
Forward |
Bryant |
| Hannah Pike |
Forward |
Fairfield |
| Andrea Soler |
Forward |
Fairfield |
| Jaclyn Gallagher |
Forward |
Fairfield |
| Rachel Konowal |
Midfield |
Monmouth |
| Eline De Jong |
Midfield |
Rider |
| Jessica Randazzo |
Midfield |
Rider |
| Keighan Richardson |
Defense |
Bryant |
| Corrine Baliga |
Defense |
Fairfield |
| Eveline Gielisse |
Defense |
LIU Brooklyn |
| Bridget LaRiccia |
Defense |
Sacred Heart |
| Christen Piersanti |
Goalkeeper |
Monmouth |
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 37
th year of competition during the 2017-18 academic year. Current Conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter's University, and Siena College.