Nine Field Hockey Players Named All Region
NFHCA Release
CHANDLER, Ariz. – The Longstreth/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) announced its NCAA Division III All-Region teams on Monday afternoon with a grand-total of 197 student-athletes receiving either first- or second-team honors across six regions of voting. The Empire 8 had nine student-athletes appear in the announcement for the North Atlantic Region as three players were first team selections and six were second team.
St. John Fisher College Lauren Fazio and Emily Markarian and Stevens Institute of Technology Nolie Prouty landed on the first team. Hartwick College's Shannon Carter and Sarah Ryan, Ithaca College Colleen Keegan-Twombly, Stevens Victoria Alvarez and Washington & Jefferson's Rachel Buyan and Amanda Steffey were named to the second team.
Fazio was an integral piece to the Cardinals' set pieces this season, taking nearly all of the team's penalty corners. The Hopewell Junction native started in all 20 games for Fisher this season, notching 13 goals and eight assists for 34 total points (second to only Markarian). Perhaps her best outing on the season was against conference-foe Nazareth as she scored two goals and assisted on another. Fazio was also recognized throughout the year as she was named to the Empire 8 First Team and was a SJFC Female Athlete of the Week.
Markarian has produced one of Fisher's best seasons as an individual leading not only the team in points (50) and goals (21), but also the entire Empire 8. The junior ranks 14th and 13th nationally in those two categories as well. Markarian also broke the St. John Fisher College record for most points and goals in a season and currently tops the career leaderboards in those stats as well. The Orchard Park native has received plenty of recognition for her performances this season as well, including Conference Championship MVP, Empire 8 Player of the Year, E8 Player of the Week three times, SJFC Female Athlete of the Week two times and ECAC Offensive Player of the Week once.
Prouty enjoyed another impressive season for Stevens, leading the team with 10 goals and nine assists in a nine-win campaign. Prouty fired a team-best 68 shots including 36 on goal, and tallied one game-winner.
Prouty scored in nine of Stevens' final 12 games, and tallied multiple points four different times while starting all 19 games.
A back-to-back Empire-8 All-Conference First Team honoree, Ryan netted a team-best nine goals this past season while contributing a team-leading five assists to the 'Wick offense.
Earlier this year, Carter was also named to the E8 First Team as her accolade was just the second for a Hawks' goalkeeper since 2009. Carter led the conference for three consecutive weeks in save percentage and completed her senior year making 129 saves.
Keegan-Twombly was an offensive force for the Bombers this season, leading the team in both points and goals and tying for the team lead in assists. The senior from Kingston, N.Y., set new career highs with 34 points and eight assists, while she beat opposing keepers for 13 goals during the year. It is the second consecutive year that she was a First-Team honoree by the conference, while it is the third time she has earned a season award from the league.
Alvarez also served as one of the key cogs in the Stevens offense with six goals and nine assists to finish third on the team with 21 points. The third-year player was especially efficient on the offensive end with 22 of her 30 shots landing on goal.
Buyan earned her first All-Region award after being named First Team Empire 8, her second year with a conference award. As a defender, she led the Presidents in goals this year with 16 (six game-winners), while ranking second on the team, behind Steffey, with 37 points.
?Steffey finished her career with four All-Empire 8 awards (three first team) and two All-Region nods. She ended her career as W&J's all-time assists leader with 28 helpers, thanks to a career-best 14 this season, good for eighth in the nation (0.70 per game). The Penn-Trafford product also finished second in goals (47) and points (122) on the W&J lists.