Pair of Field Hockey Players Claim All-Region Accolades

SOUTH HADLEY, Mass. (Nov. 16, 2009) - Mount Holyoke College sophomore field hockey players Tricia Chase and Shara Robertson have earned Longstreth/NFHCA All-Region accolades as a result of their outstanding play this fall. Chase was named to the 2009 Division III New England East First Team, while Robertson earned Second Team honors. The National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFCHA), in conjunction with Longstreth, honored 192 players nationally. Thirty-two recipients were selected to represent the New England East Region.

Mount Holyoke’s most complete player, Chase amassed nine points on two goals and five assists. In addition to finishing among the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) leaders in defensive saves with eight, the defender also stepped up her offensive game to the point where she became one of the league's top threats in the circle this season. As a result of her outstanding play during the week of October 12-18, Chase earned both NEWMAC Player of the Week and ECAC Division III New England Defensive Player of the Week accolades and was named to the womensfieldhockey.com national honor roll for Division III. During that week, she made a key defensive save at the end of regulation in the Lyons 2-1 overtime triumph over Springfield College (10/13). Chase was recently named to the NEWMAC All-Conference First Team.

Robertson paced Mount Holyoke on the offensive end, pouring in team highs of 25 points and 12 goals. Five of the forward’s tallies went down as match winners. She exploded for a hat trick in the Lyons 4-0 victory over Western New England College (9/22) and later found the back of the cage twice in their 3-0 win over Hendrix College (10/18). Two days later, she figured in on all three of her team’s goals in their thrilling 3-2 triumph over Clark, scoring two and assisting on the other (10/20). Robertson was the Lyons injector on corners and their top offensive threat in front of the cage. No stranger to postseason recognition, Robertson grabbed NEWMAC All-Conference honors for the second year in a row. She was placed on the Second Team this season after becoming just the second player in program history to claim NEWMAC Rookie of the Year accolades last fall.

Mount Holyoke posted an overall record of 10-8 and went 4-4 in NEWMAC play. The Lyons season came to a close on Saturday at Wellesley College, when they suffered a 2-0 setback to eventual champion MIT in the Semifinal Round of the NEWMAC Tournament.

2009 Longstreth/NFHCA Division III New England East All-Region Teams

First Team All-Region
Cassie Abel -Wheaton College
Lauren Blake -Clark University
Tricia Chase -Mount Holyoke College
Keri Dixon -MIT
Taryn Flagg -University of New England
Molly Fraher -Castleton State College
Sarah Fredlund -Babson College
Colleen Kelly -Babson College
Callie Lekas -Wellesley College
Molly McShane -MIT
Mel Melkonian -Clark University
Julia Ostrowski -St. Joseph's College of ME
Jessica Paladino -Babson College
Veronica Pierce -Gordon College
Morgan Rein -Springfield College
Anna Teruya -MIT

Second Team All-Region
Kim Barker -MIT
Alex Block -Wheaton College
Eileen Clinton -Nichols College
Chelsea Correia -Nichols College
Kate Cushing -Wellesley College
Krista-Jean Forand -Nichols College
Kathryn Frett -Wellesley College
Anna Giannoni -Endicott College
Julie Hoppman -Springfield College
Jamie Johnson -New England College
Kelly Johnson -WPI
Jillian Kimble -St. Joseph's College of ME
Kayla Nowell -St. Joseph's College of ME
Joanne Reid -Endicott College
Shara Robertson -Mount Holyoke College
Jessica Strock -Wheaton College