James Madison Favored to Win CAA Field Hockey; Delaware’s Strien Named Preseason Player of the Year

8/16/2021 2:00:00 PM

Hunter Peters

RICHMOND, Va. (Aug. 16, 2021) – James Madison was selected as the favorite to win the Colonial Athletic Association (CAA) field hockey title, as determined by a vote of the league’s seven head coaches.

James Madison collected four first-place votes and a total of 34 points to sit atop the CAA Preseason poll. Delaware followed the Dukes, tallying two first-place votes and 31 points. William & Mary finished third with 26 points, while Drexel came in fourth with 19 points. Northeastern was fifth, picking up one first-place vote and 15 points. Hofstra and Towson round out the field, each collecting 11 points.

Delaware’s Femke Strien was selected as the CAA Preseason Player of the Year. Strien was the sole CAA student-athlete to earn NFHCA All-American honors following the spring season. The 2019 CAA Player of the Year recorded 11 points on three goals and five assists in just six games last year. Strien was named the 2020 CAA Championship Most Outstanding Performer. She assisted on the game-winning goal in the semifinal game before scoring the game-winning goal of the championship in overtime.

James Madison reached the CAA Championship game last season before falling in overtime. The Dukes completed an undefeated CAA regular season last year and look to be strong contenders for the conference title again this fall. James Madison welcomes back the 2020 CAA Player of the Year, Eveline Zwager, who led the Dukes in points (14), goals (5) and assists (4) during the spring. Caroline Cahill and Kara McClure return after earning All-CAA first-team and second-team accolades, respectively, last season. Both Cahill and McClure were also named to the CAA all-tournament team following the spring championship.

Delaware won its second consecutive CAA Championship last spring, and the Blue Hens are poised to defend their title this season. Delaware returns its four top scorers from last season, including CAA Preseason Player of the Year, Strien. Ashlyn Carr, a first-team All-CAA honoree last spring, led the Blue Hens with 13 points on three goals and, a team-high, seven assists. Delaware also returns the 2020 CAA Rookie of the Year, Julia Duffhuis, who led the team with five goals in her freshman campaign. Grace Hoepfner also contributed nine points (4G, 1A) last spring and was named to the CAA all-tournament team following the Blue Hens’ Championship.

William & Mary played a conference-only schedule during the spring and advanced to its fifth straight CAA tournament. The Tribe looks to senior midfielder Cara Menges for leadership this season after earning first-team All-CAA accolades during the spring. William & Mary will also look for contributions from Sally Snead and Tabby Billingham, both second-team All-CAA honorees last season.

Drexel qualified for the CAA tournament for the first time since 2016 last season. The Dragons hope to build off of last season with a young talented core. Eline Di Leva led the CAA in points, goals and was tied for the league lead in assists during her freshman season. Di Leva tallied 19 points on six goals and seven assists en route to first-team All-CAA and All-CAA rookie team accolades. Isabel Jacobs also returns after receiving first-team All-CAA and CAA all-tournament team honors following her sophomore season.

Northeastern welcomes back its top two scorers from the spring season in Lauren Rowe and Cailin Hart. Last season, Rowe led the Huskies in points (14), goals (5) and assists (4), prompting her second consecutive first-team all-conference honors. Hart tallied three goals and earned second-team All-CAA accolades during the spring.

Hofstra looks to the veteran leadership of Cami Larsson and Djuna Slort to anchor its squad. Larsson and Slort both earned second-team All-CAA recognition following the spring season. Larsson recorded six points on two goals and two assists, while Slort contributed five points on a pair of goals and one assist.

Towson returns Lena Vandam in goal to hold down the Tigers’ defense. The 2020 CAA Defensive Player of the Year led the CAA in saves (61) and save percentage (.782), while her mark of 7.62 saves per game was tops in the nation last year. Vandam became the first postseason major award winner in Towson program history following her impressive season.

The 2021 season gets underway Friday, August 27, as six CAA teams take the turf while William & Mary opens play Sunday, August 29. The 2021 CAA Field Hockey Championship is scheduled for Friday, November 5 through Sunday, November 7, from Fred P. Rullo Stadium on the campus of the University of Delaware.

2021 CAA Field Hockey Preseason Poll

Team	Points
1. James Madison (4)	34
2. Delaware (2)	31
3. William & Mary	26
4. Drexel	19
5. Northeastern (1)	15
T6. Hofstra	11
T6. Towson	11

( ) = First-place votes

2021 Preseason Player of the Year: Femke Strien, Delaware

2021 Preseason All-CAA Field Hockey Team

Name	School	Position	Class	Hometown
Caroline Cahill	James Madison	M	Jr.	Yorktown Heights, N.Y.
Ashlyn Carr	Delaware	M	Jr.	Delmar, Del.
Julia Duffhuis	Delaware	B	So.	Bergeijk, The Netherlands
Eline Di Leva	Drexel	F	So.	Lelystad, The Netherlands
Cami Larsson	Hofstra	M	Sr.	Cordoba, Argentina
Kara McClure	James Madison	B	Sr.	Mohnton, Pa.
Cara Menges	William & Mary	M	Sr.	Richmond, Va.
Lauren Rowe	Northeastern	M	Jr.	Norwich, England
Femke Strien	Delaware	F	Gr.	Ijsselstein, The Netherlands
Lena Vandam	Towson	GK	Gr.	Antwerp, Belgium
Eveline Zwager	James Madison	F	Jr.	Hardenberg, The Netherlands

Honorable Mention: Berber Bakermans, Delaware (M); Tabby Billingham, William & Mary (B); Cailin Hart, Northeastern (B); Grace Hoepfner, Delaware (B); Isabel Jacobs, Drexel (M); Djuna Slort, Hofstra (M); Sally Snead, William & Mary (M/F); Kayia Towsend Sabur, Towson (F); Rachel Yeager, James Madison (B)

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