STANDISH, Maine – The 2016 Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Field Hockey postseason accolades have been announced and eight members of the GNAC-Champion Saint Joseph's College team have been honored.
Three individuals headline the awards release, as Head Coach Rupert Lewis, now in his 12th season at the helm for the Monks, has been selected as the GNAC Coach of the Year while sophomore Megan Baker (Gorham, Maine) is the 2016 GNAC Goalkeeper of the Year and freshman Libby Pomerleau (Limerick, Maine) is the 2016 GNAC Rookie of the Year.
Seven of the 11 First Team All-GNAC honorees hail from Saint Joseph's, as Pomerleau and Baker are joined by senior Kelsey Dumond (Lewiston, Maine), freshman Maddy Beaulieu (Gardiner, Maine), junior Elyse Caiazzo (Scarborough, Maine/Cheverus), sophomore Arianna Kahler (Lisbon, Maine), and junior Hayley Winslow (Falmouth, Maine) on the top conference team.
Rupert Lewis earns the third coaching accolade of his field hockey career after leading the Monks to GNAC regular season and tournament championships with a 13-6 overall record and a 5-1 mark in conference play this fall. Under his watch, Saint Joseph's led the conference in goals against average (0.94) and ranked second in shots (284), assists (29), penalty corners (165), and defensive saves (9). By far the program's most successful head coach, Lewis owns a 140-80 (.636) career record with 10 winning seasons.
Megan Baker, a 2015 Second Team All-GNAC selection, garners GNAC Goalkeeper of the Year and First Team All-GNAC honors as a sophomore after leading the conference in goals against average (0.97), fewest goals allowed (16), and shutouts (7). She is also third in save percentage (.765) and fourth in minutes (1154) and was named as the GNAC Goalkeeper of the Week on October 10th.
Libby Pomerleau earns GNAC Rookie of the Year and First Team All-GNAC honors after leading the Monks in goals (15), assists (10), points (40), and game-winning goals (7) as a freshman. The four-time GNAC Rookie of the Week honoree leads the conference in game-clinchers, ranks second in assists, and third in goals and total points. Pomerleau is the first SJC player to reach the 40-point plateau since Courtney Rague '11 hit the mark as a senior in 2010.
Kelsey Dumond, a two-time Second team All-GNAC honoree, earns First Team acclaim after netting nine goals with seven assists for 25 total points in 19 games as a senior captain. In 75 career games, Dumond ranks among the Monks' all-time leaders in goals (37, 3rd), assists (20, 7th), points (94, 3rd), and game-winners (7, T4th).
Maddy Beaulieu started for the Monks from day one and has been a solidifying force in the midfield as a freshman. With two goals and a pair of assists, she is capable of contributing offensively and will certainly be one of the players Saint Joseph's builds around for the coming years.
Elyse Caiazzo, a two-time First Team All-GNAC honoree as a women's lacrosse standout in the spring, collects First Team accolades in her fall sport after netting five goals – including three winners – with four assists for 14 total points as a junior midfielder. A strong player and gifted athlete, Caiazzo has shown tremendous growth and plays a major role in all three sectors of the field for the Monks.
The duo of Arianna Kahler and Hayley Winslow and their play on the backline is one of the main reasons for the Monks' defensive prowess this fall. Kahler helps shut down the center of the field and also takes the majority of the team's free hits. Winslow, an athletic sideline defender has tallied seven points (3G, 1A) offensively, contributes in a variety of ways including as the Monks' primary penalty corner injector.
Saint Joseph's kicks off NCAA Tournament play this afternoon with a 4:00 PM game at Montclair State University.
GNAC RELEASE:
WINTHROP, Mass. – For the second straight season, Simmons College junior Julie Saltamartini has been named the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Field Hockey Offensive Player of the Year, as voted upon by the league's coaches.
After helping the Sharks claim back-to-back GNAC crowns in 2014 and 2015, Saltamartini led the Sharks again to the league title game, falling 1-0 to Saint Joseph's College of Maine. The junior tallied 20 goals and five assists this season for 45 points, good for second among league leaders.
Simmons senior defender Robin Powell was named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Year after starting 16 games for the Sharks, who allowed just four goals in their six GNAC contests.
The GNAC champion Monks placed seven student-athletes on the First Team, including two major award winners, as sophomore goalkeeper Megan Baker was named the GNAC Goalkeeper of the Year and freshman forward Libby Pomerleau was selected as the GNAC Rookie of the Year. Entering NCAA Tournament play, where the Monks will take on Montclair State, Baker leads the league with a 0.97 goals-against average and Pomerleau has registered 40 points on 15 goals and 10 assists.
Saint Joseph's of Maine head coach Rupert Lewis was voted the GNAC Coach of the Year by his peers after guiding the Monks to the GNAC regular-season and tournament title.
For the complete list of All-Conference selections, please see below.
Joining Baker and Pomerleau on the First Team from Saint Joseph's of Maine were senior forward Kelsey Dumond, rookie midfielder Maddy Beaulieu, junior midfielder Elyse Caiazzo, sophomore defender Arianna Kahler and junior defender Hayley Winslow. Dumond has nine goals and seven helpers for 25 points and Caiazzo has five goals and four assists for 14 points.
Anna Maria College placed two players on the First Team in senior forward Kaitlyn Moran and junior midfielder Jacqueline Lapierre. Among GNAC category leaders, Moran is first in goals (24) and points (57) and third in assists (9), while Lapierre had eight points on the season.
Founded in 1995, the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 12 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Each year, the GNAC sponsors and administers 17 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunities and community involvement.
First Team
F – Kaitlyn Moran, Anna Maria (Sr., Leicester, Mass.)
F – Kelsey Dumond, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Sr., Lewiston, Maine)
F – Libby Pomerleau, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Fr., Limerick, Maine)
F – Julie Saltamartini, Simmons (Jr., East Hampstead, N.H.)
M – Jacqueline Lapierre, Anna Maria (Jr., Worcester, Mass.)
M – Maddy Beaulieu, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Fr., Gardiner, Maine)
M – Elyse Caiazzo, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Jr., Scarborough, Maine)
B – Arianna Kahler, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (So., Lisbon, Maine)
B – Hayley Winslow, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Jr., Falmouth, Maine)
B – Robin Powell, Simmons (Sr., Richmond, Vt.)
GK – Megan Baker, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (So., Gorham, Maine)
Second Team
F – Cailin Flannery, Lasell (So., Medford, N.J.)
F – Samantha Taylor, Lasell (Fr., Hanover, Mass.)
F – Sarah Hemstock, Mount Ida (So., Northford, Conn.)
F – Sammy Rondeau, Simmons (Jr., Franklin, Mass.)
M – Julia Franzik, Lasell (So., Wallingford, Conn.)
M – Lexi Minicucci, Mount Ida (Jr., Westfield, Mass.)
M – Ana Giarrusso, Simmons (So., Hingham, Mass.)
B – Emily Standring, Anna Maria (Sr., Worcester. Mass.)
B – Taylor Falco, Lasell (Jr., Hazlet, N.J.)
B – Jessica Kocur, Johnson & Wales (RI) (Jr., Mattapoisett, Mass.)
GK – Brianna Rastello, Simmons (Sr., Salem, N.H.)
Offensive Player of the Year – Julie Saltamartini, Simmons
Defensive Player of the Year – Robin Powell, Simmons
Rookie of the Year – Libby Pomerleau, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
Goalkeeper of the Year – Megan Baker, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
Coach of the Year – Rupert Lewis, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
Institutional Sportsmanship Award – Rivier University
#GOMONKS
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Saint Joseph's College is Maine's only Catholic liberal arts college, providing a supportive, personalized and career-focused education for more than 100 years. From its 474-acre campus on the shores of Sebago Lake, the College offers more than 40 undergraduate programs to a population of approximately 1,000 students. Saint Joseph's College Online provides certificates, undergraduate and advanced degrees for working adults through an online learning program. For more, visit www.sjcme.edu.