Boston- Boston University's Sarah Shute (Offensive Player of the Year) and Holly Wiles (Rookie of the Year) and the University of Maine's Meagan Connolly (Defensive Player of the Year) and Terry Kix (Coach of the Year) highlighted the honorees at the conference's annual field hockey awards banquet on Thursday night. All voting was conducted by the head coaches at the America East institutions.
Complete All-Conference Team Breakdown (PDF)
Shute, a sophomore at Boston U., and a first team selection, started all 18 regular season games for the Terriers and has collected a team-high 20 points enroute to being named the program's first ever Offensive Player of the Year. Shute's eights goals are good for second place on the team, while her four assists lead Boston U.
Freshman Wiles, a second team selection, also started all 18 games for Boston U. this season as she becomes the second-straight Terrier to win Rookie of the Year honors. Wiles leads Boston in scoring with nine goals, good for fourth in the conference standings.
Connolly, a senior at Maine, earns Defensive Player of the Year award in the Black Bears' history. A first team selection and 2004 second team selection, Connolly started all 18 games for the Black Bears and stepped up to score two goals and three assists this season.
Kix, now in her 15th year as head coach of the Black Bears, has led Maine to a 12-6 overall record this season, including a 4-1 mark in league play, good for a share of the conference's regular season crown and the No. 2 seed for the upcoming America East Championship. Kix, has earned America East Coach of the Year honors three previous times, most recently 2002, and has led the Black Bears to the conference tournament for the ninth time in program history.
Shute and Connolly are joined on the first team by Albany's senior forward Tina Bryson, Boston University senior defender Colleen McClay, junior goalkeeper Erin Prediger and sophomore forward Pam Spuehler, Maine senior forward Kasey Spencer, UMBC junior midfielder Julie Moore, New Hampshire senior midfielder Katie White and Vermont senior midfielder Merrie-Beth Maynard and sophomore forward Danielle Collins.
Bryson is third in America East with nine goals on the season, while Prediger has five shutouts this year and leads the conference in goals against average (1.14). White leads America East in points per game (1.53) and has tallied 13 goals and three assists for the Wildcats. Collins is third in the league in scoring (1.38 ppg) with nine goals and 11 assists.
The all-conference second team includes Albany's sophomore forward Kristen Holder and freshman midfielder Arlette Westdorp, Boston University's Wiles, Maine freshman forward Kim MacDonald, senior forward Shaunessy Saucier and junior defender Joanna Fernandes, UMBC junior forward Kristi Troster, New Hampshire junior midfielder Mackenzie Stuart and freshman defender Brittany Jacobs, Vermont sophomore forward Kelly McClintock and senior goalkeeper Ariel Eber.
Westdorp leads the league in assists with 16 as Wiles is ninth in points per game (1.00). MacDonald is ninth for goals per game (0.39) and Stuart is third in the conference with 11 assists. Eber ranks second in saves per game (6.73), while stopping 74 shots through 11 games played.
Wiles, Westdorp, MacDonald and Jacobs are joined on the all-rookie team by Albany's Ashley Ross, Boston U.'s Lizzie Perreault, Maine's Katy LePage, UMBC's Paige Hartman, New Hampshire's Michelle Tavener, Kara Napolitano and Vermont's Kim Striegler.
Nine of the first-team selections and eight of the second-team selections will be in action this Friday at the America East Field Hockey Championship at Jack Barry Field in Cambridge, Mass. No. 2 Maine meets No. 3 Albany at 12 noon. No. 1 Boston U. plays host to No. 4 Vermont at 2:30 p.m. The championship game will be held at Barry Field, Saturday at 3 p.m.