STANDISH, Maine – The 2019 Longstreth/NFHCA DIII All-Region teams have been released and three Saint Joseph's College players have claimed honors.
Senior Libby Pomerleau (Limerick, Maine) and sophomore Emma Rutledge (Alfred, Maine) have garnered First Team All-New England East Region honors while junior Alexandra Belaire (Greene, Maine) is listed on the Second Team.
Pomerleau claims First Team All-Region honors for the second time after netting seven goals with five assists for 19 total points during her senior season. The senior captain, who changed positions from forward to midfielder as a senior, is the Monks' all-time leader in goals (65), points (156) and game-winning goals (22).
One of the most decorated players in program history, Pomerleau earned First Team All-Conference honors all four years, was selected as the 2016 GNAC Rookie of the Year and earned GNAC Offensive Player of the Year accolades in 2017 and 2018. She also garnered Synapse Sports Third Team All-America honors last fall and was selected to play in the 2019 NFHCA DIII Senior All-Star Game.
Rutledge, the 2019 GNAC Offensive Player of the Year and First Team All-Conference honoree, earns her first All-Region accolade after scoring 12 goals – including four game-winners - with eight assists for 32 total points as a sophomore. In 43 career games, Rutledge has netted 30 goals – including seven clinchers – with 23 assists for 83 total points.
Belaire, a 2019 First Team All-Conference selection, also takes home her first regional honor after scoring eight goals with 12 assists for 28 points during her junior season. She led the GNAC in assists in 2019 and for her career, has scored 22 goals – including seven clinchers - with 26 assists for 70 points in 62 games over three NCAA seasons.
In all, seven GNAC players collected Longstreth/NFHCA All-Region honors, as the SJC trio joins Lasell's Mindy Esposito and Samantha Taylor, Simmons University keeper Lucy McNamara, and Johnson & Wales University forward Jillian Miele on the exclusive list.
Under the watch of 15th-year Head Coach Rupert Lewis in 2019, the Monks posted an 18-4 overall record with a perfect 8-0 mark in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) play en route to winning their fourth-consecutive GNAC Championship. St. Joe's toppled Lasell University, 4-0, in the conference title contest at the SJC Athletics Complex on November 9th and played at #14 Babson College in the first round of the NCAA DIII Tournament four days later. After a scoreless first half, the Beavers hit pay dirt twice in the third quarter to clinch the 2-0 victory.
The NCAA Tournament setback signaled the end of collegiate field hockey for the Monks' three seniors: Maddy Beaulieu (West Gardiner, Maine), Libby Pomerleau (Limerick, Maine), and Kylee Veilleux (Sabattus, Maine). The 2020 senior class helped Saint Joseph's win four GNAC Championships while posting a 66-19 (.777) overall record, including a 25-2 (.926) mark in GNAC play, during their time on the turf.
2019 LONGSTRETH/NFHCA ALL-REGION TEAMS
