Aug. 30, 2007
RICHMOND, Va. -- - Old Dominion senior Jo Ann van Aswegen (Bloemfontein, South Africa) was selected as the 2007 Preseason Colonial Athletic Association Field Hockey Player of the Year by a vote of the league's head coaches.
Joining van Aswegen on the preseason all-conference team is fellow Lady Monarch Sami McLenegan (Middletown, Pa.), Delaware's Molly Burke, Casey Howard and Amanda Warrington, Hofstra's Pemba Ramdoo and Charlia Warner, James Madison's Meghan Bain and Kelsey Cutchins, Northeastern's Ashley Webber, Towson's Christina Boarman and William & Mary's Kim Hedley.
Van Aswegen, a midfielder from Bloemfontein, South Africa, returns for her senior season at Old Dominion. After spending her sophomore year as a limited reserve, she appeared in all 23 games with 21 starts for the Lady Monarchs, while registering six goals, two assists and three game-winning goals in a breakout junior campaign.
Meanwhile, McLenegan, who has played a strong role in anchoring Old Dominion's defense the past two years, will enter her senior season in hopes of insuring a dominant Lady Monarch's squad that posted 12 shutouts a year ago, the most since winning a national championship in 2000.
Bain, who earned CAA Rookie of the Year and womensfieldhockey.com National Rookie of the Year honors last season, returns for her sophomore campaign. The forward, who helped lead the Dukes to a CAA championship a year ago, led the conference with nine game-winning goals and was third in points (36), points per game (1.57) and goals (16).
Cutchins, who was selected as the conference's preseason goalkeeper, enters her sophomore year protecting the net for the Dukes. Last year, she became JMU's starting keeper in the ninth match of the season and recorded four shutouts and combined for 10. Cutchins also made a career-high 14 saves while facing 23 shots and 21 corners in the Dukes' 1-0 CAA championship victory over Old Dominion.
Forwards Warner and Ramdoo return this fall to lead Hofstra's offensive attack. Warner, a junior who received 2006 First Team All-CAA accolades, tied a school record last year with 20 goals and led the squad with 45 points. In addition, she was tops in the CAA in goals per game (1.00) and second in points per game (2.43). Meanwhile, Ramdoo enters her senior season with the Pride coming off a junior campaign where she netted four goals, three of which were game-winners, and five assists for 13 points.
Webber will look to help Northeastern, who was picked to finish third this season in a vote of the league's head coaches, improve on a 10-12 finish last year. The senior midfielder was a First Team All-CAA selection and finished her junior season with six goals and five assists.
Hedley, who was a second team all-conference selection a year ago, enters her senior campaign with the Tribe. Last fall, she registered a team-high nine goals and finished with two assists for 20 points.
A 2006 all-rookie selection, Boarman is back for her sophomore campaign with Towson. She was the Tigers third-leading scorer with six goals and four assists despite missing the final nine games of the season with a separated shoulder.
A trio of Blue Hens rounds out the Preseason All-CAA Field Hockey team. Howard, who is expected to again serve a role in Delaware's midfield or forward line, started all 19 games during her sophomore campaign and led the team with nine goals and 19 points. Meanwhile, seniors Burke and Warrington look to bounce back from injury-plagued junior seasons. Burke finished second on the squad with seven goals and 16 points in 13 games, while midfielder Warrington appeared in just four games for the Blue Hens.