Dec. 11, 2012
NORFOLK, Va. – Freshman forward Sarah Breen earned Rookie of the Year honors and was one of five members of the Old Dominion University field hockey team named to the 2012 University Division All-State squad, announced on Tuesday by the Virginia Association of Sports Information Directors (VaSID).
Breen (Taylors Hill, Australia) led Old Dominion with four game-winning goals in 2012, part of her total tally that included 12 goals and eight assists. The forward was a third-team All-American selection by the NFHCA, and was also a member of the All-CAA first team. It is the second year in a row that ODU has earned Rookie of the Year honors after Kelsey Smither took home the award in 2011.
Joining Breen on the first team is redshirt junior back and co-captain Christy Longacre (Bethlehem, Pa.) and junior midfielder and co-captain Kati Nearhouse (Nanticoke, Pa.) while sophomore back Kelsey Smither (Suffolk, Va.) and sophomore midfielder Rosario Villagra (Salta, Argentina) were named to the second team.
Longacre became the seventh ODU player to be named CAA Defensive Player of the Year in 2012 and the third straight year the honor has gone to a Lady Monarch. She was a key component in a Lady Monarchs’ defense that allowed just seven goals in seven CAA contests and recorded two shutouts. Also named to the NFHCA All-America second team, she collected three defensive saves while also making her presence felt on offense on penalty corners, ranking third on the team with 10 goals while adding four assists.
Nearhouse was named to the WomensFieldHockey.com All-America second team as she scored a pair of goals to go along with two assists in 2012. A first team All-CAA selection this year, Nearhouse is a member of the U-21 U.S. National team.
Smither was named second team All-CAA after a stellar freshman campaign in 2011 in which she was the National Rookie of the Year. The sophomore led ODU with 11 assists on the season. She was also named to the NFHCA All-Region South second team for the second consecutive year.
Villagra led Old Dominion with 13 goals and 34 points and was second on the team with eight assists. She was second on the team with two game-winning goals, second in the CAA in points and third in the league in goals.
University of Virginia senior Olympian Paige Selenski was named the Player of the Year while UVA head coach Michele Madison was named the Coach of the Year.
The Virginia Sports Information Directors name 27 all-state teams in 15 sports each year, as well as an academic all-state squad and an all-sports champion in both the university and college divisions.
2012 VaSID University Division All-State Field Hockey Team
Player of the Year - Paige Selenski, F, R-Sr., UVA
Coach of the Year - Michele Madison, UVA
Rookie of the Year - Sarah Breen, F, Fr., ODU
First Team
F - Paige Selenski, UVA *
F - Sarah Breen, ODU %
F - Kelsey Scherrer, VCU
M - Rebecca Barry, Richmond
M - Michelle Vittese, UVA
M - Natalie Barr, Liberty
M - Kati Nearhouse, ODU %
B - Elly Buckley, UVA
B - Christy Longacre, ODU
B - Christine Johnson, W&M
GK - Jenny Johnstone, UVA
* Unanimous Selection
% Named on Every Ballot
Second Team
F - Sarah Gipe, Liberty
F - Jessica Diaz, Longwood
F - Pippin Saunders, W&M
F - Rachel Wein, JMU
M - Rosario Villagra, ODU
M - Stacey de Grandhomme, Longwood
M - Maria Caro, W&M
B - Amy Cooke, Richmond
B - Kelsey Smither, ODU
B - Stephanie DeMasi, VCU
GK - Lena Wimmert, JMU
GK - Anna Zarkoski, Richmond
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