Five UAlbany Field Hockey Players Earn All America East Conference Accolades; Head Coach Phil Sykes Named Coach of the Year

Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information

Albany, N.Y. – Five UAlbany field hockey players earned all-conference accolades at the America East Conference awards banquet, held in the UAlbany Athletic Hall of Fame Room on Thursday evening. Three members of the program earned individual awards, including Defensive Player of the Year Michele Polizois, Midfielder of the Year Michelle Simpson and Coach of the Year Phil Sykes.

Junior midfielder Nicole Savage joined Polizois and Simpson on the first team. All three were unanimous selections. Senior defender Ashley Carr and senior goalkeeper Ashley Ross were named to the all-conference second team, while freshman forward Christina Patrick was a unanimous selection to the all-rookie team.

Polizois, a three-time America East player of the week, leads the conference in shots (109), points (32), goals (13) and game-winning goals (5). Her work on defense helped lead a UAlbany unit that is second in the league in allowing just 1.63 goals per game and has produced five shutouts. The native of Oceanport, N.J., she earned her first all-conference honor, recorded hat tricks on two occasions, once against Hofstra and again versus league opponent Fairfield.

Simpson, now a three-time all-conference honoree, recorded 30 points this season with nine goals and 12 assists. She is second in the conference in points behind Polizois and tied for first in assists with teammate Jess Lindsey. Simpson, who earned All-America laurels a year ago, has been chosen to play in the National Field Hockey Coaches’ Association Senior All-Star Game, which will take place at the NCAA Final Four in Louisville, Ky.

In his fifth season coaching the Great Danes, Sykes led UAlbany to its first-ever regular-season title after posting a 4-1 conference record for the third straight season. UAlbany, which finished the regular season with a 10-9 overall record, was either ranked or receiving votes in the national poll every week of the season.

Savage has seven goals and two assists for 16 total points this season. Carr, in her first season with the Great Dane program, helped anchor the stingy UAlbany defense, led by Ross in the cage. Carr has recorded two defensive saves, while Ross, who is the UAlbany career leader in wins, owns a .746 save percentage with 88 stops on the season. Patrick started seven of 11 games played this season before suffering an injury. She scored two goals as a rookie before being sidelined, and will return to the field for the Great Danes in the postseason.

UAlbany earned the right to host the 2008 America East Conference Field Hockey Championship, which will take played on Friday, Nov. 7 and Sunday, Nov. 9 at Alumni Turf Field. The top-seeded Great Danes will take on No. 4 Boston U. at 1 p.m. on Friday, followed by No. 2 New Hampshire and No. 3 Maine at 4 p.m. The two winners will face off in the final on Sunday at 1 p.m., with a berth to the NCAA Tournament on the line.

-agate-

2008 America East Field Hockey All-Conference Teams
First Team: Michele Polizois, UAlbany; Nicole Savage, UAlbany; Michelle Simpson, UAlbany; Lizzie Perreault, Boston U.; Kim Kastuk, Boston U.; Holly Wiles, Boston U.; Maire Dineen, Maine; Kelly Newton, Maine; Sarah Craigue, New Hampshire; Megan Shea, New Hampshire; Kim Striegler, Vermont.

Second Team: Ashley Carr, UAlbany; Ashley Ross, UAlbany; Sheena Berry, Boston U.; Haley Robinson, Boston U.; Carly McCullough, Fairfield; Marit Westenberg, Fairfield; Cally Cooke, New Hampshire; Whitney Frates, New Hampshire; Stephanie Gardiner, Maine; Jen Angers, Vermont; Maegan Luce, Vermont.

All-Rookie: Christina Patrick, UAlbany; Kiley Allosso, Boston U.; Giovanna Monaco, Boston U.; Marit Westenberg, Fairfield; Stephanie Gardiner, Maine; Kelly Newton, Maine; Kendall Deck, New Hampshire; Whitney Frates, New Hampshire; Jenna Lehman, New Hampshire; Kate Collins Smyth, New Hampshire; Mackenzie Williams, Vermont.

Coach of the Year: Phil Sykes, UAlbany

Rookie of the Year: Kelly Newton, Maine

Goalkeeper of the Year: Kim Kastuk, Boston U.

Midfielder of the Year: Michelle Simpson, UAlbany

Defensive Player of the Year: Michele Polizois, UAlbany

Offensive Player of the Year: Sarah Craigue, New Hampshire