Aug. 14, 2009
Richmond, Va. - Old Dominion University placed an astonishing 20 members on the Colonial Athletic Associations 25th Anniversary Field Hockey Team, the league announced Thursday. The 25 member team includes 24 All-Americans, 11 CAA Players of the Year, eight Olympians and five Honda Award winners.
As part of its 25th Anniversary celebration in 2009-10, the CAA is recognizing Silver Anniversary teams in 21 championship sports. The teams are selected by a panel of current and former head coaches in the conference.
Marina DiGiacomo headlines the list of Lady Monarch standouts. DiGiacomo was a two-time All-American who received the Honda Award in 2000. A four-time CAA Player of the Year and four-time CAA Tournament MVP, DiGiacomo led ODU to national championships in 1998 and 2000. She is the NCAA all-time lead in points (414) and second in NCAA history in goals scored with 167.
Joining DiGiacomo are fellow Honda Award winners, Kelli James, Mimi Smith and Tiffany Snow. James is a two-time All-American who received the prestigious Honda Award in 1993. She was selected as the CAA Player of the Year in 1992 and guided the Lady Monarchs to three national titles. James was also a member of the U.S. National team from 1990-96.
Smith is a two-time All-American and 1999 Honda Award honoree. A three-time All-CAA selection who was named the CAA Defender of the Year in 1998, Smith led ODU to a national championship in 1998. She was also a member of the U.S. National team from 1999-2003.
Snow, a two-time All-American, was recognized with the Honda Award in 2002. A four-time All-CAA selection who was the 2002 CAA Player of the Year, Snow led the nation in goals (30) and points (75) during her senior campaign. Snow was also a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic team.
Joining Snow, DiGiacomo and James as fellow Olympians are Caroline Nichols, Dana Sensenig, Angie Loy and Jill Reeve. Nichols, an All-American in 2006, was a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic team. A three-time all-conference honoree, Nichols was chosen as the CAA Player of the Year and Defender of the Year in 2006.
Sensenig, a teammate of Nichols on the 2008 Olympic team, was a three-time All-American and selected to the NFHCA National Academic team during all four of her seasons. Additionally, she was a three-time All-CAA selection and 2005 CAA Tournament MVP.
Loy, who earned All-American honors in 2002 and 2003, ranks among the top five in ODU history in goals (77) and points (210). A four-time All-CAA selection who was the CAA Player of the Year in 2003, Loy was a member of the U.S. National team from 2003-08.
Rounding out the list of Olympians is Jill Reeve, who competed for the U.S. in 1996. Reeve is the NCAA's all-time leader in assists with 139. A two-time All-CAA pick who earned All-America accolades in 1992, Reeve helped lead the Lady Monarchs to three straight National Championships. She was a member of the U.S. National team from 1992-2004.
Old Dominion's first Rhodes Scholar, Samantha Salvia, was also honored by the conference. Salvia was an Academic All-American and garnered All-America status on the field in 1995. She was a finalist for the NCAA Woman of the Year award and selected to the All-CAA team on three separate occasions.
Other CAA Players of the Year on the squad include Danielle Chellew, Janelle Engle, Robin Smith and Adrienne Yoder. Chellew was named the league's top player and earned All-America honors in 1996. A three-time All-CAA selection who was the MVP of the 1996 CAA Tournament, Chellew finished her career with 63 goals and 143 points. She was also a member of the NCAA All-Tournament team in 1996.
Engle, a three-time All-CAA selection, was selected as CAA Player of the Year and garnered first-team All-American honors in 2005. Engle was a finalist for NCAA Woman of the Year and USA Today All-USA College Academic team. She also received Academic All-America and CAA Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year honors in 2006.
Smith, a two-time All-CAA selection who was the CAA's top player in 1991, ranks ninth on ODU's career goal scoring list with 66 tallies. An All-America first team selection in 1991 and 1992, Smith led the Lady Monarchs to three straight National Championships.
Yoder was a four-time All-CAA performer who was the 2001 CAA Player of the Year. She earned All-America honors in 1999, 2000 and 2001 and was named the CAA Defender of the Year in both 2000 and 2001. During her stint at ODU, the Lady Monarchs won two National Championships.
Old Dominion also had two goalkeepers honored on the Silver Anniversary Team. Both Kim Decker and Kathy Fosina were named to the squad. Decker, who was selected to the NFHCA All-America team in 1994 and 1995, set an NCAA record by allowing only two goals during the Lady Monarchs' 1992 National Championship season. She ranks second in NCAA history in shutouts (56) and seventh in GAA (0.64). Additionally, Decker was a member of the U.S. National Team from 1991-93.
Fosina is the NCAA's all-time leader in goals-against-average (0.48) and shutouts (71). Fosina was the starting goalkeeper for three ODU National Championship teams. An All-CAA honoree in 1991, Fosina was a member of the U.S. National team from 1990-92.
The remaining ODU members of the team, Pam Neiss, Maaike Hilbrand, Laura Knorr, Melissa Leonetti and Kim Miller, all earned All-America honors during their careers.
Neiss, who ranks third in NCAA history with 80 career assists, was named to the All-America first team in 1990 and 1991. A two-time selection to the NCAA Championship All-Tournament team, Neiss was a member of the U.S. National team from 1990-96.
Hilbrand was chosen as a First Team All-American in 1991 and 1992. She is tied for second in NCAA history with 167 career goals. Hilbrand, who ranks second in career points at ODU with 372, was a three-time selection to the NCAA Championship All-Tournament team.
Knorr, who earned All-America accolades in 1991 and 1992, helped lead ODU to three consecutive National Championships. A member of the U.S. National team from 1990-92, Knorr was chosen to the NCAA Championship All-Tournament team in 1990 and 1992.
Leonetti was a three-time All-CAA selection and CAA Defender of the Year in 2003. She was an All-American in 2002 and 2003 and a member of the U.S. National team from 2003-08. Leonetti guided the Lady Monarchs to the 2000 National Championship.
Miller was a three-time All-America honoree (1997-99). She ranks fourth in career goals at ODU with 82 and was a member of the U.S. National team from 1999-2002. A three-time All-CAA pick, Miller twice made the NCAA Championship All-Tournament team.
The CAA has been one of the premier field hockey conferences in the nation since the league began sponsorship of the sport in 1991. Perennial power Old Dominion won national championships in 1991, 1992, 1998 and 2000, and James Madison captured the national championship in 1994. ODU, under legendary coach Beth Anders, has earned 13 CAA championships and has reached the NCAA Tournament in 17 of their 18 seasons as a league member.
-ODU-