Jan. 3, 2007
NORFOLK, Va.-- The Virginia Sports Information Directors Association announced its awards for the 2006 field hockey season (University level), and Old Dominion senior back Caroline Nichols was named the VaSID Player of the Year. Nichols was one of seven Lady Monarchs honored, with five ODU student-athletes named to the first team, including Nichols, while two were named to the second team.
James Madison freshman forward Meghan Bain was honored as the Rookie of the Year and University of Virginia head coach Michele Madison was selected as the Coach of the Year. Bain led a contingent of four Dukes honored, including two other student-athletes named to the first team. Four of Madison's charges were selected to the two teams, with two Cavaliers named to the first team. Richmond's Shannon Taylor was the lone Spider on the first team while five teammates were named to the second team.
Nichols was the CAA Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. A first team All-American selection by both the NFHCA and womensfieldhockey.com, Nichols anchored an Old Dominion defensive unit that ranked as high as No. 1 in the nation. Entering the post-season, the First Team All-South Region honoree helped the ODU defense hold opponents to only 13 goals in 20 games. Nichols helped the team record 12 shutouts, with eight of those coming against conference competition. She also contributed offensively finishing the season fourth on the team in scoring with 10 goals, four assists, and 24 points.
Joining Nichols on the first team were Daphne and Denise Admiraal (Heillo, Holldan), Kelly Driscoll (West Chester, Pa.), and Dana Sensenig (Denver, Pa.).
Denise Admiraal, a third team All-America selection, was the Lady Monarchs' second leading scorer having collected 13 goals and five assists for a total of 31 points. Among her CAA counterparts, the First Team All-South Region honoree ranked fourth in points (31), points per game (1.35), goals (13), and goals per game (0.57).
Daphne Admiraal helped anchor the ODU defense, which again ranked as high as No. 1 in the nation. She helped hold opponents to only 125 shots at the Lady Monarch cage while collecting 439 as a team. She also led the team with two defensive saves.
Driscoll at one point during the season led the nation in goals against average and finished ranked 15th save percentage. In league play she topped the charts in both categories. She only allowed eleven opponents to score and only four teams to score more than one goal. Driscoll collected 12 shutouts overall and eight in CAA action as all but one CAA opponent were shutout during the 2006 season.
Sensenig earned third team All-American honors by the NFHCA and first team All-American honors by Women's Field Hockey.com. She was a first team All-South Region and All-CAA selection and CAA All-Tournament selection. Sensenig led ODU with 56 points from a team leading 20 goals, and 16 assists. She concluded her career at ODU tied for eighth on the school's all-time points list with 171. She ranked eighth nationally in both points (2.43) and assists (0.70) and led the nation in penalty strokes with five.
Representing Old Dominion on the second team were Darcy Pinchbeck (Suffolk, Va.) and Nico van Nispen (Bilthoven, Holland).
Pinchbeck was fifth on the squad in scoring in 2006 with nine goals, three assists, and 21 points. She posted a hat trick against Virginia Commonwealth and notched game-winners in victories over Richmond and Delaware. Pinchbeck ended the year tied for eight in goals (9) in the league.
Van Nispen concluded the year third in scoring registering 10 goals, eight assists, and 28 points. A CAA Player of the Week honoree, she ranked in several categories in the CAA statistics including third in assists (8), fifth in points (28) and goals (10), sixth in points per game (1.22), and seventh in assists per game (0.35).
The VaSID teams are listed below:
First team: Daphne Admiraal, ODU, D; Denise Admiraal, ODU, M; Meghan Bain, JMU, F; Kelly Driscoll, ODU, GK; Inge Kaars Sijpesteijn, UVA, M; Caroline Nichols, ODU, D; Traci Ragukas, UVA, F; Dana Sensenig, ODU, M; Shannon Taylor, UR, M; Baillie Versfeld, JMU, M; Melissa Walls, JMU, D.
Second team: Erin Arthur, UR, D; Gina Cimarelli, W&M, F; Lindsay Conrad, UR, F; Biffy Cornelison, UVA, D; Kelsey Cutchins, JMU, GK; Mia Link, UVA, M; Jodi Murphy, UR, M; Darcy Pinchbeck, ODU, F; Ines Reimundes, UR, M; Nicolein van Nispen, ODU, M; Heather Wrublesky, UR, F
Player of the year: Caroline Nichols, ODU
Rookie of the year: Meghan Bain, JMU
Coach of the Year: Michele Madison, UVA--