13 field hockey players earn national academic nods, team honored

COLCHESTER, Vt. - The Saint Michael's College field hockey team had 13 players qualify for the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Collegiate Division II National Academic Squad, while the team earned an NFHCA Collegiate Division II National Academic Team Award for the eighth consecutive year. The Purple Knights ranked fourth among all Division II programs with a cumulative 3.33 grade-point average.

Saint Michael's topped the Northeast-10 Conference with its GPA, edging Bentley University's 3.32 showing, while falling just short of Kutztown University and West Chester University, which tied for second at 3.38. With 13 players, the Purple Knights were one short of Bentley's league-leading total.

Those honored by the NFHCA were seniors Jenny Boudrow (Dedham, Mass./Dedham), Jackie Stacey (West Windsor, Vt./Woodstock Union) and Taylor Wahrenbrock (Chapel Hill, N.C./Chapel Hill), junior Laken Ferreira (Holliston, Mass./Holliston), sophomores Courtney Bedell (Londonderry, N.H./Londonderry) and Kelly Celata (Dedham, Mass./Dedham), and freshmen Meghan Ahearn (Mashpee, Mass./Mashpee), Darcy Andrade (Bangor, Maine/Bangor), Jackie Chisholm (New Braintree, Mass./Quabbin Regional), Aubrey Deavitt (Shelburne, Vt./Champlain Valley Union), Jackie Dunn (Longmeadow, Mass./Longmeadow), Louise Gibbs (Shelburne, Vt./Champlain Valley Union) and Shannon Rice (West River, Md./Elizabeth Seton).

Ferreira was honored for the third time in her career, while Bedell, Boudrow, Celata, Stacey and Wahrenbrock were each recognized for the second time.

The National Academic Squad recognizes student-athletes that have achieved a minimum cumulative GPA of 3.30 through the first semester of the 2011-12 academic year, while the team award recognizes programs that achieved a minimum 3.0 GPA during the first semester.