Postseason Honors Rolling in for NCAC-Champion Scots

The North Coast Athletic Conference-champion College of Wooster field hockey team has collected a number of individual awards in recent days with seven players being named all-NCAC, highlighted by Amanda Artman (Shaker Hts., Ohio / Shaker Heights) as the league's Offensive Player of the Year, and four selected on to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-Great Lakes Region Team.

Artman, along with fellow forward Eileen Barrer (Ann Arbor, Mich. / Pioneer), earned first-team honors from both the NCAC and NFHCA. Back Anna Hurley (Oxford, Ohio / Talawanda) was first-team all-region and midfielder Stephanie Standera (Penfield, N.Y. / Penfield) first-team all-conference, and they garnered second-team recognition from the other organization.

Joining Hurley on the All-NCAC Second Team were back Nina Dine (Tuckahoe, N.Y. / E.C. Fieldston) and goalie Madalyn Myers (Lebanon, Ohio / Ursuline Academy), and forward Briana Lynch (North East, Md. / North East) received honorable mention from the league.

Artman, now a two-time NCAC Offensive Player of the Year after winning it as a freshman as well, broke the conference's 24-year old single-season scoring record this fall, tallying 71 points on 29 goals and 13 assists. In addition to leading the league in all three major scoring categories, the junior standout ranks fifth in the NCAA Div. III national statistics in points (3.23 ppg), seventh in goals (1.32 gpg), and 20th in assists (0.59 apg). Also of note, Artman's 71 points were the most by a Wooster player since 1981.

Barrer, who was a second-team all-NCAC award winner a season ago as a first-year, netted 13 goals for the second consecutive year. She passed out four assists for a 30-point campaign, which resulted in rating as the conference's fifth-leading scorer (1.36 ppg). Barrer connected on a goal in each of the first four games and later contributed three multi-point outings in NCAC play.

Hurley, a senior and two-time all-region and all-conference pick, was the cornerstone of the Fighting Scots defense. Wooster yielded 1.68 goals per game – the third-lowest average in the NCAC – and in 16 of the team's 22 matches, the opposition had two or less, including each of the last seven. Statistically, Hurley produced six defensive saves to lead the Scots in that category for the fourth time.

Standera finishes her sophomore season with her second all-league and first all-region accolade. A key to the transition game, she constantly created scoring opportunities and wound up with 11 assists – the second-most in the NCAC and tied for 37th in Div. III (0.50 apg). The 11 helpers also tied for the fifth-best total in school history, and Standera scored her first career goal at Denison University. She played an integral role in the Scots winning the NCAC Tournament, assisting on three goals during those two games.

Dine, who like Standera was honorable mention on the All-NCAC Team last fall, played a significant role on both ends of the field. She combined for 14 points, tying for fourth on the squad in scoring, via four goals and six assists, and defensively, was an integral part of a unit which shutout seven opponents.

Myers was one of only two first-years to gain first- or second-team all-NCAC status. She took over as Wooster's starting goalie in the fourth game and flourished, compiling a .787 save percentage, a 2.00 goals against average, 111 saves, and five shutouts for the season. Myers' save percentage ranked second in the conference, and her season was highlighted by saving a penalty stroke in the finals of the NCAC Tournament to keep the Scots ahead 1-0 in the game.

Lynch, a first-time postseason honoree, was another component of Wooster's high-scoring forward line. The sophomore ranked fourth in the NCAC in both scoring (1.50 ppg) and goals (0.70 gpg), as she tallied 30 points on 14 goals and a couple of assists in 20 games. Lynch had three two-goal games, including ones a week apart against rivals Wittenberg University (Sept. 27) and Kenyon College (Oct. 4).

The Scots won their third-straight NCAC championship in the regular season and followed up with their initial NCAC Tournament title, which allowed them to advance to the NCAA Div. III Tournament for the first time since 2001. Overall, Wooster finished 16-6 – also the most wins since 2001.