Nov. 3, 2011

2011 Field Hockey All Conference Teams

NEWPORT NEWS, Va. - Temple's Bridget Settles was named the Atlantic 10 Conference Field Hockey Offensive Player of the Year and Massachusetts' Alesha Widdall was tabbed as the league's Defensive Player of the Year in voting conducted among the Conference's head coaches.

In that same vote the coaches tabbed Richmond's Rebecca Barry as Rookie of the Year and La Salle's third-year head coach Michelle Marks as Coach of the Year.

Settles started in all 20 games for the Owls this season and leads her team in points (40), goals (18) and game-winning goals (6). The flagship attacker of the Temple squad, Settles is responsible for over half her team's 33 goals this season. The senior is ranked 18th in the nation in goals per game (0.9) and 27th for points per game (2.0). Settles was named to the 2010 Atlantic 10 First Team All-Conference and is a three-time Atlantic 10 Player of the Week honoree in 2011.

Selected as Defensive Player of the Year for the second time in her career, Widdall anchors the Minutewomen defense with an impressive 142 saves this season, registering four shutouts, two of which came in conference play. She leads the league in save percentage (0.816) and goals against average for conference games (0.66). This year's post-season accolade caps off what has been a highly decorated career for the four-time First Team All-Conference and three-time Longstreth/NFHCA All-Northeast Region First Team honoree.

Starting in all 19 games for the Spiders this season, Barry has played an invaluable role as a midfielder in Richmond's defense as well as in its offensive attack. Scoring nine goals and tallying three assists, Barry boasts an impressive .604 shot on goal percentage and is the team's highest penalty corner earner.

Settles, Widdall and Barry are joined on the All-Conference first team by Lock Haven's Kristi Shepps, Massachusetts' Lauren Allymohamed, Nikki Panciocco and Kim Young, Richmond's Chelsea Davies and Katelin Peterson, Therese Doyle of Saint Joseph's and Temple's Katie Briglia.

Making up the All-Conference Second Team are Rebecca Chylack, Lyndsay Fry, Neelam Kumar and Mariel Papa of La Salle, Lock Haven's Leslie Ahern, Massachusetts' Nicole Cordero, Richmond's Emily Straniero and Anna Zarkoski, Ellen Rowe of Saint Joseph's, and Temple's Becca Keener and Kaylee Keener.

Joining Barry on the All-Rookie team are La Salle's Maddy Tettelbach and Lisa Shaffer, Massachusetts' Lauren Allymohamed and Renee Suter, Richmond's Samantha Ostoich, Saint Joseph's Jordan Martin, Saint Louis' Alanah Busby and Temple's Nicole Kroener, Lizzy Millen and Amber Youtz.

Additionally, 11 student-athletes have been named to the Academic All-Conference team for their dedication to academics as well as athletics. To be nominated, a player must be a starter or important reserve and have a cumulative 3.0 GPA or better (on a 4.0 scale) for her entire academic career. Making up the 2011 Academic All-Conference Team are La Salle's Rebecca Chylack, Lindsay Fry and Janel Paukovits, Lock Haven's Nicole Weaknecht, Massachusetts' Alesha Widdall and Kim Young, Richmond's Katelin Peterson, Meghan Githens of Saint Joseph's, Ellen Rowe and Theresa Testa, and Temple's Bridget Settles.

Wrapping up her third season at the helm of the Explorers field hockey program, Marks has led her team to its first Atlantic 10 Championship appearance since 1997. In her first season, she guided the Blue and Gold to the most wins in six seasons, a number she matched again this year (8). Marks is the first La Salle head coach to ever win the prestigious award.

The 2011 Atlantic 10 Conference Championship begins at 11am Friday, November 4, at Saint Joseph's University's Ellen Ryan Field. It will be streamed live, free of charge, on atlantic10.com.

About the A-10
The Atlantic 10 Conference was formed in 1976, is currently comprised of 14 member institutions and sponsors 21 championship sports. The mission and goal of the Atlantic 10 is to preserve, protect, and enhance the academic and athletic pursuits of the membership. The conference is committed to integrity, educational excellence and providing quality equitable championship experiences for more than 6,000 student-athletes, coaches, and support staff. The member institutions of the Atlantic 10 are the University of Dayton, Duquesne University, Fordham University, The George Washington University, La Salle University, University of Massachusetts, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, University of Rhode Island, University of Richmond, St. Bonaventure University, Saint Joseph's University, Saint Louis University, Temple University, and Xavier University.