Three Teams Garner Major Awards in 2023 CAA Field Hockey Postseason Honors
Hunter Peters
RICHMOND, Va. (Nov. 2, 2023) – The CAA has announced its CAA Field Hockey postseason honors in which three teams – Drexel, Monmouth and Northeastern – garnered major awards as voted on by the league's seven head coaches.
Monmouth junior forward Sofia Fouces was named CAA Offensive Player of the Year, and Northeastern graduate midfielder/back Lauren Rowe earned CAA Defensive Player of the Year recognition. In addition, Drexel freshman forward/midfielder Val Van Hellemont collected CAA Rookie of the Year accolades, and head coach Carli Figlio from Monmouth was selected as the CAA Coach of the Year by her peers.
Fouces is the second CAA Offensive Player of the Year from Monmouth in as many seasons. The junior forward leads the conference with 39 points and 17 goals while adding five assists. In addition, Fouces ranks fifth nationally in points (2.44) and goals (1.07) per game. The Parana, Argentina native found the back of the cage in 13 matches this season, including three multi-goal efforts and one hat trick.
Rowe becomes the second CAA Defensive Player of the Year in Northeastern program history and the first since 2007. The graduate student leads the Huskies in points (26), goals (9), and assists (8) this season. Rowe played 16 matches, starting 15 in the Northeastern midfield and backend en route to her fourth career First Team All-CAA honors.
Van Hellemont recorded 27 points and 12 goals this season to lead all first-year players in the conference. Furthermore, her 12 goals rank third among freshmen in the NCAA this fall. Van Hellemont ranked third in the CAA in goals per game (0.63) and fourth in points per contest (1.47). The freshman from Lier, Belgium, notched a goal in eight matches, with three multi-goal efforts and her first career hat trick. Van Hellemont is the first major award winner for the Dragons since 2016.
Figlio earned her second consecutive CAA Coach of the Year honor in Monmouth’s second season in the conference. Under her leadership, the Hawks won the CAA Regular Season title for the second year in a row. Monmouth posted a +9 goal differential in league play and a +21 goal differential overall, ranking 15th nationally in scoring average (2.79) and 18th in scoring margin (1.30). Additionally, Figlio led the Hawks to their eighth straight season with double-digit wins.
Fouces was joined on the First Team All-CAA by her teammates Reese Bloomstead and Jess Tucker. Rowe accompanied Mak Graves from Northeastern, while Van Hellemont and Eline Di Leva represented Drexel. In addition, William & Mary had two student-athletes on the First Team All-CAA, with Pyper Friedman and Jayden Moon earning honors. Delaware’s Berber Bakermans and Pieke Roos of Hofstra rounded out the First Team all-conference squad.
All seven conference teams had at least one student-athlete earn All-CAA accolades. Regular season champion Monmouth led the way with six All-CAA honors, while Delaware, Drexel, Northeastern and William & Mary each had five all-conference selections.
First Team All-CAA
| Name |
School |
Class |
Pos. |
Hometown |
| Berber Bakermans |
Delaware |
Sr. |
M |
Best, Netherlands |
| Reese Bloomstead |
Monmouth |
Gr. |
D |
Ocean View, N.J. |
| Eline Di Leva |
Drexel |
Sr. |
F |
Lelystad, Netherlands |
| Sofia Fouces |
Monmouth |
Jr. |
F |
Parana, Argentina |
| Pyper Friedman |
William & Mary |
Jr. |
M |
Phoenix, Md. |
| Mak Graves |
Northeastern |
Sr. |
F/M |
Topsfield, Mass. |
| Jayden Moon |
William & Mary |
Sr. |
M |
Spotsylvania, Va. |
| Pieke Roos |
Hofstra |
So. |
GK |
Rotterdam, Netherlands |
| Lauren Rowe |
Northeastern |
Gr. |
M/B |
Norwich, England |
| Jess Tucker |
Monmouth |
Jr. |
F/M |
Havelock North, New Zealand |
| Val Van Hellemont |
Drexel |
Fr. |
F/M |
Lier, Belgium |
Second Team All-CAA
| Name |
School |
Class |
Pos. |
Hometown |
| Aylin Aufenacker |
Monmouth |
Gr. |
F |
Hamburg, Germany |
| Lauren Curran |
William & Mary |
Gr. |
F |
Media, Pa. |
| Pien Elsen |
Drexel |
Fr. |
D/M |
Rotterdam, Netherlands |
| Natali Foster |
Drexel |
So. |
F |
Elverson, Pa. |
| Megan Hadfield |
Drexel |
Gr. |
GK |
West Chester, Pa. |
| Sarah Hatfield |
Towson |
Sr. |
F |
Culpepper, Va. |
| Cailin Hart |
Northeastern |
Gr. |
B |
Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Genevieve Johnson |
Delaware |
Jr. |
M |
Richmond, Va. |
| Tara McNally |
Hofstra |
Jr. |
M |
Marmora, N.J. |
| Noelle Sabbagh |
Delaware |
So. |
F |
Lewes, Del. |
| Samantha Spera |
Hofstra |
Gr. |
F |
Plymouth Meeting, Pa. |
| Lara Taylor |
Northeastern |
Jr. |
M |
Norwich, England |
2023 CAA Offensive Player of the Year: Sofia Fouces, Monmouth
2023 CAA Defensive Player of the Year: Lauren Rowe, Northeastern
2023 CAA Rookie of the Year: Val Van Hellemont, Drexel
2023 CAA Coach of the Year: Carli Figlio, Monmouth
CAA All-Rookie Team
| Name |
School |
Class |
Pos. |
Hometown |
| Mackinzie Brown |
William & Mary |
Fr. |
M/D |
Milton, Del. |
| Jessie Eiselin |
Monmouth |
Fr. |
GK |
Amsterdam, Netherlands |
| Pien Elsen |
Drexel |
Fr. |
D/M |
Rotterdam, Netherlands |
| Kate Fiest |
Delaware |
Fr. |
M |
Yorktown, Va. |
| Josie Mae Gruendel |
William & Mary |
Fr. |
F |
Matthews, N.C. |
| Alex Mega |
Northeastern |
Fr. |
M/F |
East Greenwich, R.I. |
| Anna Moors |
Monmouth |
Fr. |
D |
Noord-Brabant, Netherlands |
| Kesia Richardson |
Hofstra |
Fr. |
D |
Marlow, England |
| Val Van Hellemont |
Drexel |
Fr. |
F/M |
Lier, Belgium |
| Rachael Whitehead |
Delaware |
Fr. |
M/D |
Hockessin, Del. |
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