Nov. 21, 2011
NORFOLK, Va. (Nov. 21, 2011) - Two Lady Monarchs were selected as 2011 All-Americans as announced by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) and WomensFieldHockey.com on Monday. Emma Batten, Kati Nearhouse were first team selections and freshman Kelsey Smither was named National Rookie of the Year.
The Lady Monarchs finished the season 22-3, winning the CAA title and reaching theNCAA National semifinals.
Four Lady Monarchs were also named 2011 Longstreth/NFHCA Division I All-Region Team selections. Batten and Nearhouse were first team selections, while Smither and Stephanie Kratzer were second team All-Region selections.
Batten receives her All-America nod from both organizations following a sensational senior season in the Lady Monarchs uniform. The CAA Player of the Year ranked top-10 nationally in scoring, despite facing the nation's second toughest schedule. Batten helped ODU win its 15th CAA title and advance to the national semifinals of the NCAA Tournament. She finished the season with a team-high 27 goals, as the Lady Monarchs finished the season with a record of 22-3. In addition to All-American, WomensFieldHockey.com named Batten the National Offensive MVP of the year. Batten was also selected to the NCAA National Championships All-Tournamentsquad.
ODU's Kati Nearhouse earned Second Team honors from the NFHCA and Third Team accolades from WomensFieldHockey.com. Nearhouse finished the year with eight goals and five assists in the Lady Monarchs sensational season. The sophomore forward helped Old Dominion to defeat eight top-10 ranked teams during the regular season.
Kelsey Smither of Old Dominion was named the National Rookie of the Year by WomensFieldHockey.com, as well as All-Rookie team accolades. The CAA Rookie of the Year led Old Dominion with 13 assists and helped the Lady Monarchs rank among the national leaders in scoring margin this season.
In the South Region, ODU's Batten and Nearhouse were First Team selections. Smither was named to the Second Team along with CAA Defensive Player of the Year, Stephanie Kratzer.
2011 Longstreth/NFHCA Division I All-AmericansEmma Batten, Old Dominion (First Team)
Crystal Poland, Northeastern (First Team)
Kati Nearhouse, Old Dominion (Second Team)
Kaela Barker, Northeastern (Third Team)
Genna Kovar, Hofstra (Third Team)
2011 WomensFieldHockey.com All-Americans
Emma Batten, Old Dominion (First Team) (National Offensive MVP)
Genna Kovar, Hofstra (First Team)
Crystal Poland, Northeastern (First Team)
Kati Nearhouse, Old Dominion (Third Team)
Kelsey Smither, Old Dominion (All-Rookie) (National Rookie of the Year)
2011 Longstreth/NFHCA Division I All-Region First Team Selections
Amanda Fleischut, Drexel (Mid-Atlantic Region)
Genna Kovar, Hofstra (Mideast Region)
Kaela Barker, Northeastern (Northeast Region)
Crystal Poland, Northeastern (Northeast Region)
Emma Batten, Old Dominion (South Region)
Kati Nearhouse, Old Dominion (South Region)
2011 Longstreth/NFHCA Division I All-Region Second Team Selections
Monica Baick, Drexel (Mid-Atlantic Region)
Katie DeFilippo, Towson (Mid-Atlantic Region)
Sofia Sanguinetti, Drexel (Mid-Atlantic Region)
Amy-Lee Levey, Hofstra (Mideast Region)
Pam Aldridge, Northeastern (Northeast Region)
Carolyn Malloy, Northeastern (Northeast Region)
Lizzie Priest, Northeastern (Northeast Region)
Stephanie Kratzer, Old Dominion (South Region)
Kelsey Smither, Old Dominion (South Region)
Kelsey Scherrer, VCU (South Region)