The Empire 8 announced its 2011 Field Hockey All-Conference team with senior Mallory Swanson of conference regular season runner-up Stevens Institute of Technology being named Empire 8 Player of the Year.
Swanson, a repeat first-team selection, enters the conference tournament with 21 points on eight goals and five assists. She is third all-time in goals and fourth all-time in points at the school.
Senior Jillian Price and junior Mary Nikish of the Ducks were also named to the all-conference first team unit this year after being named to the second team last season. Price led the conference with 15 assists in the regular season, while Nikish paced the Ducks with 12 goals.
Four players from regular season champion Utica College were selected as first-team honorees. Senior goalkeeper Monica Storms has posted an 11-7 record with a 1.70 goals against average and a pair of shutouts. Classmate Jessica Ahearn has registered eight points and three defensive saves. Hannah Mackey was selected as Empire 8 Rookie of the Year and classmate Louise Steele-Norton joined her on the all-conference team. Steele-Norton leads all conference scorers with 15 points and 31 points, and Mackey is second with 13 goals and 30 points.
2010 Empire 8 Player of the Year Jennifer Marabella and fellow junior Erin Barno of Washington & Jefferson were selected to the all-conference first team. Barno leads the Presidents with 30 points (11 goals, 8 assists), and Marabella leads the team with 12 goals.
Junior Kailee O’Hara of Nazareth, a second-team choice last year, was named to the first team and enters the postseason leading the Golden Flyers with six goals, five assists, and 17 points.
Junior Kelsey Kimble, the 2009 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year and two-time all-conference performer, was named to the first team for the first time. She paced the Hawks with 11 goals and 27 points.
Utica Head Coach Sarah Elleman was chosen as Empire 8 Field Hockey Coach of the Year for leading the Pioneers to a 6-1 record in conference play and the program’s first regular season title.
One member of each team was named that institution’s representative on the 2011 Field Hockey Sportswoman of the Year Team. Empire 8 emphasizes that "Competing with Honor and Integrity" is an essential component of a student-athlete’s experience in conjunction with an institution’s educational mission. These honorees have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportswomen.
Empire 8 2011 Field Hockey All-Conference Awards
Player of the Year: Mallory Swanson, Stevens Institute of Technology
Rookie of the Year: Hannah Mackey, Utica College
Coach of the Year: Sarah Elleman, Utica College
2011 Empire 8 Field Hockey All-Conference Release