March 6, 2007
NORFOLK, Va. -- The Old Dominion University field hockey team compiled the fifth highest grade point average among its Division I counterparts and had 13 members named to the Division I National Academic Squad it was annouced by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA).
The 2006 Lady Monarch field hockey team earned a combined 3.42 grade point average as one of seven division I teams honored with the National Academic Team Award.
Freshmen Titia Beek (Heiloo, Holland), Alyschia Conn (Peach Bottom, Pa.), Anna Kern (Va. Beach, Va.), Courtney Seiders (Mt. Joy, Pa.), Kathleen Shea (Elizaville, N.Y.), and Hanna Warren (Green Lane, Pa, redshirt freshman Kelly Driscoll (West Chester, Pa.), sophomore Nico Van Nispen (Bilthoven, Holland) and Katelyn Smither (Suffolk, Va.), junior Jo Ann van Aswegen (Bloemfontein, South Africa) and Samantha McLenegan (Middletown, Pa.), and senior Caroline Nichols (Va. Beach, Va.) and Dana Sensenig (Denver, Pa.) were all named to the National Academic Squad.
Sensenig earned her fourth nod to the National Academic Squad. She earned third team All-American honors by the NFHCA and first team All-American honors by Women's Field Hockey.com. Sensenig was a first team All-South Region and All-CAA selection as well as a 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.
Nichols was named to the academic squad for the second straight season. She was the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, and 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.
McLenegan earned her third selection to the National Academic Team. The third year Lady Monarchs started all 23 games accumulating three goals and an assist for seven points. She notched one game winner last season coming against Ohio.
Van Aswegen makes her first appearance on the academic team. The South Africian native started 21 of the Lady Monarchs' 23 games recording six goals, two assists, and 14 points to finish the year sixth on the squad in scoring. She also registered three game-winnin goals.
Van Nispen, also making her first appearance on the academic honor roll, 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).
Smither is also another Lady Monarch making her first appearance on the academic team. In her second year with Old Dominion she started all 23 contests racking up a goal and six assists for a total of eight points.
Driscoll, who was in her first season in the cage for the Lady Monarchs, also makes her first nod to the academic team. During the fall she had the nation in goals against average and topped the league in both goals against average and save percentage. During the regular season she only allowed nine opponents to score and only three teams to score more than one goal. The First Team All-CAA selection shutout all but one CAA opponent during the 2006 regular season. Driscoll concluded the year posting a .776 save percentage and a 0.72 goals against average.
Beek, Conn, Kern, Seiders, Shea, and Warren all completed their first season in the ODU uniform this fall. Warren appeared in 18 contests, making three starts, and recording three goals. Beek made 21 appearances with nine starts compiling two goals and two assists.