Taylor West is the sixth JMU Duke to earn CAA Player of the Year honors.
Dukes Headline 2015 Field Hockey Teams, Awards
Tim McDonnell
Field Hockey #CAAChamps Central | 2015 Championship Preview
RICHMOND, Va. (November 5, 2015) – James Madison redshirt senior
Taylor West has been chosen as the 2015 Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) field hockey Player of the Year in a vote by the league’s head coaches, the conference announced Thursday evening.
JMU senior
Loes Stijntjes was named the CAA Defensive Player of the Year, becoming the third consecutive Dukes’ senior to earn the league’s top defensive award. Teammate
Melissa Wilken was named Rookie of the Year, while Madison head coach
Christy Morgan was picked Coach of the Year to complete the Madison clean sweep of the conference’s major postseason honors.
West, a team captain, has started all 18 games for the Dukes this season and currently leads JMU with 15 goals and 32 points. The midfielder/forward ranks fourth in the CAA with 3.61 shots per game while her goal and point totals are good for third in the conference. Over her impressive career, the Princess Anne, Md., native has played in 77 total games (69 of which have been starts) and recorded 55 goals and 18 assists for 128 points. Heading into the CAA Championship this weekend, West sits in a tie for fourth place all-time at JMU for career goals and recently took sole possession of fourth place on the all-time points list.
Stijntjes joins former teammates Dana Allaband and Amy Goldstein as the third straight JMU player to be awarded with the Defensive Player of the Year honor. To say she’s been reliable for the Dukes over the years might be an understatement. Over four years, the Belgium native has not missed a start in 74 games played and has been a staple for her team on both sides of the ball. Like West, Stijntjes is a team captain. This fall as a defender/midfielder, the senior has registered 10 goals and seven assists for 27 points. As a key leader of the JMU defense, Stijntjes helped the Dukes allow a league-low six goals in conference play to go with their stingy 0.97 goals against average.
Wilken has played in 17 games for the Dukes this season (15 starts) and ranks second on her team with 28 points on nine goals and 10 assists. The freshman was twice named CAA Rookie of the Week and currently ranks second amongst all conference players with her assists total and 0.59 assist per-game average. Originally from Oudtshoorn, South Africa, Wilken has also added three game-winning goals for the Dukes this season, which is tied for the team lead and is good for second in the CAA.
Morgan captures her second Coach of the Year honor - first since 1993 which occurred during her first stint as the Dukes’ head coach – after guiding the No. 16 Dukes to a perfect 6-0 record in conference play and a 13-5 overall record. JMU, which has been ranked in the NFHCA poll for eight consecutive weeks, earned the right to host the CAA Championship and also obtained the league’s regular season title for the first time since 2008. Madison enters the weekend having won seven of its last nine games, with the lone losses during that stretch coming against Top 10 opponents.
JMU sophomore goalkeeper Sara Kraeutler joined Stijntjes and West on the All-CAA first team. This season, Kraeutler has started all 18 games for the Dukes and owns a 13-5 record and 1.77 goals against average. For the third straight year, Delaware’s Michaela Patzner (10 G, 8 A) and Esmée Peet (11 G, 4 A) heard their names called on the first team. Hofstra joined Madison with three first-team members in junior Claudia Marin Samper (19 G, 16 A, 54 P), sophomore Simca Schoen (12 G, 8 A) and junior Stella Schoen (16 G, 7 A).
William & Mary senior Pippin Saunders wrapped up a stellar career for the Green and Gold with 38 goals and 22 assists and earned All-CAA first team recognition for the third straight year. This fall she recorded 13 goals and four assists to lead the Tribe. Northeastern junior Natalie Stewart grabbed her third consecutive All-CAA first team nod and finished 2015 tied for the team lead with 16 points (5 G, 6 A). Drexel was represented on the first team by senior Lauren Hibshman for the second straight season.
JMU is the first team since former league member Old Dominion (2011) to earn a clean sweep of the major awards.
2015 All-CAA Field Hockey First Team
*Selected by CAA Field Hockey Coaches |
| Player, School |
Pos. |
Cl. |
Hometown/High School |
| Lauren Hibshman, Drexel |
M/D |
Sr. |
Allentown, Pa./Parkland |
| Sara Kraeutler, James Madison |
GK |
So. |
Oakhurst, N.J./Ocean Township |
| Michaela Patzner, Delaware |
F |
Sr. |
Rosenheim, Germany/Karolinen Gymnasium |
| Esmée Peet, Delaware |
M |
Jr. |
Zeewolde, The Netherlands/RSG Slingerbos |
| Claudia Marin Samper, Hofstra |
F |
Jr. |
Terrassa, Spain/IES Matadepera |
| Pippin Saunders, William & Mary |
M/F |
Sr. |
Mittagong, NSW/Bowral |
| Simca Schoen, Hofstra |
D/M |
So. |
Hamburg, Germany/Gymnasium Othmarschen |
| Stella Schoen, Hofstra |
F |
Jr. |
Hamburg Germany/Gymnasium Othmarschen |
| Loes Stijntjes, James Madison |
D/M |
Sr. |
Steenokkerzeel, Belgium/Heilig Hartcollege |
| Natalie Stewart, Northeastern |
M |
Jr. |
Vancouver, British Columbia/Carson Graham |
| Taylor West, James Madison |
M/F |
R-Sr. |
Princess Anne, Md./Pocomoke |
2015 All-CAA Field Hockey Second Team |
| Player, School |
Pos. |
Cl. |
Hometown/High School |
| June Curry-Lindahl, Northeastern |
F |
Fr. |
Rhode-Saint Genese, Belgium/College Cardinal Mercier |
| Sara “Booter” Ellis, William & Mary |
M |
So. |
Delmar, Del./Delmar |
| Hannah Hall, James Madison |
M |
So. |
Virginia Beach, Va./Ocean Lakes |
| Heather Jenney, Towson |
F |
Sr. |
Silver Spring, Md./Paint Branch |
| Taylor Lister, Delaware |
M |
So. |
Hummelstown, Pa./Lower Dauphin |
| Charlotte Loehr, Hofstra |
M |
Sr. |
Mainz, Germany/Otto-Shott Gymnasium |
| Jessica McCarthy, Drexel |
M |
Jr. |
Havertown, Pa./Haverford |
| Allie Mikelson, Delaware |
D |
Sr. |
Emmaus, Pa./Emmaus |
| Megan Wiest, Drexel |
F |
Fr. |
Northampton, Pa./Northampton Area |
| Melissa Wilken, James Madison |
F |
Fr. |
Oudtshoorn, South Africa/York |
| Emilee Woodall, Towson |
GK |
So. |
Chesapeake City, Md./Bohemia Manor |
2015 CAA Player of the Year: Taylor West, James Madison
2015 CAA Defensive Player of the Year: Loes Stijntjes, James Madison
2015 CAA Rookie of the Year: Melissa Wilken, James Madison
2015 CAA Coach of the Year: Christy Morgan, James Madison |
|
|
|
|
|
| 2015 All-Rookie Team |
| Player, School |
Pos. |
Cl. |
Hometown/High School |
| Caroline Arrowood, William & Mary |
D/M |
Fr. |
Chesapeake, Va./Hickory |
| Katie Bagdon, Drexel |
D |
Fr. |
Holland, Pa./Council Rock South |
| June Curry-Lindahl, Northeastern |
F |
Fr. |
Rhode-Saint Genese, Belgium/College Cardinal Mercier |
| Lisa Giezeman, Delaware |
F |
Fr. |
Leidschendam, The Netherlands/Sin-Maartenscollege |
| Greta Nauck, Delaware |
M |
Fr. |
Krefeld, Germany/Gymnasium am Moltkeplatz |
| Madison Reed, Hofstra |
F/M |
Fr. |
Sugarloaf, Pa./Hazleton Area |
| Miranda Rigg, James Madison |
F/M |
Fr. |
Fredericksburg, Va./James Monroe |
| Samantha Schlegel, Hofstra |
F |
Fr. |
Birdsboro, Pa./Twin Valley |
| Megan Wiest, Drexel |
F |
Fr. |
Northampton, Pa./Northampton Area |
| Melissa Wilken, James Madison |
F |
Fr. |
Oudtshoorn, South Africa/York |
| 2015 All-Academic Team |
| Player, School |
Pos. |
Cl. |
Hometown/High School |
| Olivia Hajek, William & Mary |
F/M |
Jr. |
Charlottesville, Va./Western Albemarle |
| Jenna Knouse, Drexel |
D |
Sr. |
Elliottsburg, Pa./West Perry |
| Melanie Kusakavitch, James Madison |
F |
So. |
Pittson, Pa./Holy Redeemer |
| Maddie O’Beirne, Delaware |
M |
Sr. |
Vienna, Va./George C. Marshall |
| Stella Schoen, Hofstra |
F |
Jr. |
Hamburg, Germany/Gymnasium Othmarschen |
| Morgan Skavdahl, Towson |
D |
Jr. |
Stafford, Va./Mountain View |
| Natalie Stewart, Northeastern |
M |
Jr. |
Vancouver, British Columbia/Carson Graham |