Delaware, Duffhuis Headline CAA Preseason Honors for Second Consecutive Season
Hunter Peters
RICHMOND, Va. (Aug. 14, 2023) – For the second consecutive season, Delaware was selected as the preseason favorite in CAA Field Hockey, and the Blue Hens back,
Julia Duffhuis, was tabbed the CAA Preseason Player of the Year in a vote of the league’s seven head coaches.
Delaware collected five first-place votes and 35 points to sit atop the preseason poll, while Monmouth received the additional two first-place votes in second, collecting 32 points. William & Mary was third with 21 points, just one point ahead of Drexel and Northeastern, who tied for fourth with 20 points. Hofstra and Towson rounded out the poll separated by one point in sixth and seventh.
The Blue Hens are led by Duffhuis, who was the CAA Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season in 2022. The two-time All-American led Delaware with 14 goals and 32 points, adding four assists during her junior season. She is joined by returning starters Berber Bakermans and Kiki Oudshoorn in pursuit of a fifth consecutive CAA title for the Blue Hens. Bakermans led the conference with 17 assists and was fourth in points (25) last fall, while Oudshoorn (3g, 9a) was one of six players to log double-digit points for Delaware.
Monmouth earned a share of the CAA regular season during its first season in the league last fall. The Hawks will have a tall task to replace the production of the 2022 CAA Offensive Player of the Year. Aylin Aufenacker (5g, 5a) is the team’s top returning point producer and should step into a larger role this fall. Reese Bloomstead (3a, 3Dsv) and Jess Tucker (5g) also return for the Hawks after earning Second Team All-CAA honors last season.
William & Mary missed the CAA Tournament for the first time since 2015 last fall and is eager to return to the postseason. The Tribe will build off three wins over nationally ranked teams in 2022, which was the most by any CAA team. William & Mary returns a First Team All-CAA selection, and its top scorer, Lauren Curran (11g) at forward, while Pyper Friedman (1g, 5a) and Jayden Moon (3a) bolster the midfielder. In addition, Maddie George (1.42GAA, 0.781sv%) is back in the cage after a terrific season last fall.
Drexel reached its first CAA Championship game since 2012 last fall and will look to compete at the top once again. The Dragons are led by a three-time First Team All-CAA selection Eline Di Leva (10g, 3a) on the offensive end and graduate goalkeeper Megan Hadfield (1.98GAA, 0.675sv%) on defense.
A young Northeastern team returned to the CAA Tournament last season and will aim to build off that experience under first-year head coach Pam Spuehler. The Huskies welcome back Lauren Rowe, who missed 2022 due to injury but earned First Team All-CAA honors in 2021 after recording 32 points on 11 goals and 10 assists. Northeastern also returns its top three offensive threats from last season, including the reigning CAA Rookie of the Year, Emmy Stubbs (12g, 2a).
All seven league members were represented on a balanced preseason all-conference team. Delaware, Drexel, Monmouth, Northeastern and William & Mary had two selections on the team, while Towson and Hofstra each had one honoree.
The 2023 season begins on Friday, August 25, with five CAA teams taking the turf for their season openers. The 2023 CAA Field Hockey Championship is scheduled for November 3-5 at Fred P. Rullo Stadium in Newark, Del. on the campus of the University of Delaware.
2023 CAA Field Hockey Preseason Poll
| Team (1st) |
Points |
| 1. Delaware (5) |
35 |
| 2. Monmouth (2) |
32 |
| 3. William & Mary |
21 |
| T4. Drexel |
20 |
| T4. Northeastern |
20 |
| 6. Hofstra |
10 |
| 7. Towson |
9 |
2023 CAA Preseason Player of the Year: Julia Duffhuis, Delaware
2023 Preseason All-CAA Field Hockey Team
| Name |
School |
Class |
Pos. |
Hometown |
| Aylin Aufenacker |
Monmouth |
Gr. |
F |
Hamburg, Germany |
| Berber Bakermans |
Delaware |
Sr. |
M |
Best, Netherlands |
| Reese Bloomstead |
Monmouth |
Gr. |
D |
Ocean View, N.J. |
| Eline Di Leva |
Drexel |
Sr. |
F |
Lelystad, Netherlands |
| Julia Duffhuis |
Delaware |
Sr. |
B |
Bergeijk, Netherlands |
| Pyper Friedman |
William & Mary |
Jr. |
M |
Phoenix, Md. |
| Megan Hadfield |
Drexel |
Gr. |
GK |
West Chester, Pa. |
| Cailin Hart |
Northeastern |
Gr. |
B |
Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Hannah McKeon |
Towson |
Fifth |
M |
Pasadena, Md. |
| Jamie Mc Millan |
Hofstra |
So. |
B |
Krefeld, Germany |
| Jayden Moon |
William & Mary |
Sr. |
M |
Spotsylvania, Va. |
| Lauren Rowe |
Northeastern |
Gr. |
M/B |
Norwich, England |
Honorable Mention: Liz Chipman (M), Drexel; Lauren Curran (M/F), William & Mary; Maddie George (GK), William & Mary; Mak Graves (F/M), Northeastern; Kiki Oudshoorn (F), Delaware; Emmy Stubbs (F), Northeastern; Jess Tucker (M), Monmouth
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