BOSTON, Mass. - The New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) Field Hockey All-Conference Teams have been announced and Mount Holyoke College saw three student-athletes recognized. Earning First Team recognition was Sophie Perekslis and Mirjam Keochakian, while Kaitlin Braz was a Second Team selection. All three are earning their first career year-end conference honor.
Perekslis, a senior forward and captain from Millerton, N.Y., earned First Team after leading Mount Holyoke in goals, points, shots, shots on goal and game-winning goals in 2017. Her 16 tallies rank her third overall amongst the NEWMAC's best, while she also sits fourth in points. Over eight conference games, Perekslis ranked first in game-winning goals (3) and was third in both goals (8) and points (17).
A former standout at the Berkshire School, Perekslis was also named the NEWMAC Offensive Athlete of the Week on October 10, while also garnering her third straight NEWMAC Academic All-Conference honor last week. In 80 career contests at Mount Holyoke, which included 74 starts, Perekslis scored 51 goals with 12 assists for 114 points. She posted 223 shots, including 154 on goal, while adding 14 game-winning tallies. Amongst the Lyons all-time best, Perekslis ranks fifth in career goals and is sixth all-time in career points.
Keochakian, a junior midfielder who hails from Hamburg, Germany, was recognized after leading the Lyons in assists during the 2017 campaign with nine. She also notched nine goals for 27 total points, both of which ranked second overall on the squad. Keochakian finished the season tied for second overall in assists amongst the conference's best. Additionally, she also ranked fourth in eight conference games in both goals and assists.
A NEWMAC Academic All-Conference honoree for the second straight year, Keochakian also recorded a team-high three defensive saves this season, while three of her goals were game-winners. She has played in 57 career games for the Lyons, with 56 of those coming as a starter. During that time, Keochakian has scored 15 goals with 18 assists for 48 total points. In addition to 120 shots (78 on goal), she has three career game-winning goals to go with four defensive saves.
Rounding out this year's honors was Braz, a senior forward and captain from Tolland, Conn. One of the most dominant end-to-end players in the conference this season, Braz ranked second among the Lyons squad in both assists (8) and points (20). She also added six goals to go along with 49 shots (30 on goal). Amongst the NEWMAC leaders, she ranked fourth in overall helpers.
The former East Catholic High School standout, who last week earned her third straight NEWMAC Academic All-Conference honor, played in 76 career contests for the Lyons. A starter in 42 of those matches, she scored 10 career goals with 13 assists for 33 points. Additionally, she added 113 total shots, including 78 on goal, with two game-winning markers.
In addition to the All-Conference honors, the Lyons also saw Perekslis named to the field hockey All-Sportsmanship Team. The award, which was established in 2016-17, is intended to recognize one student-athlete from each team, in every sport that best demonstrates the ideals of the NEWMAC and its Code of Conduct, regardless of his/her overall performance or statistics for the season. Perekslis, along with eight other players from the conference field hockey teams were honored. Last season, Braz was the Lyons All-Sportsmanship representative.
Mount Holyoke concluded its season with a 12-6 overall record. The Lyons finished 5-3 in the NEWMAC, advancing to the conference tournament for the 19th straight season. MHC shouldered a tough 3-2 loss in overtime to Springfield in the NEWMAC Quarterfinals.
