Nov. 1, 2007

All-MAC Press Release

OXFORD, Ohio - Ohio goalkeeper Jessie Martin has been named the Mid-American Conference Player of the Year by a vote of the league's head coaches. Martin was also selected to the All-MAC First Team along with teammates Rachelle Coetzee and Nikki Gnozzio. Torrie Albini and Estienne Coetzee were selected to the All-MAC Second Team.

Martin (Louisville, Ky.) started 18 of Ohio's 19 games this season and was a catalyst for the Bobcats on defense. She was named the MAC Defensive Player of the Week five times during the regular season, while earning 14 wins in goal, tallying three shutouts and posting a career-high 11 saves. Martin is the third Ohio field hockey player to ever receive the conference's player of the year award.

Rachelle Coetzee (Bloemfontein, South Africa) was named to the All-MAC First Team for the second straight year. Coetzee ended the regular season with 10 goals, 25 points and five assists. She started all 19 games of the season while averaging 3.16 shots and 1.32 points per game.

Gnozzio (Flanders, N.J.) joins Coetzee on the All-MAC First Team. It is the first All-MAC honor for Gnozzio in her three-year career with the Bobcats. Gnozzio played a big part in Ohio's execution on penalty corners this year and was named the MAC Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 4 after recording a defensive save in the Bobcats' win over Ohio State.

Albini (Escondido, Calif.) was selected second-team All-MAC after ending the regular season with 16 goals and 11 assists. She scored a season-high four goals against Robert Morris and averaged 5.16 shots and 2.26 points per game. She is two shots shy of reaching 100 on the season, which would place her fourth all-time in the Bobcat record book. Albini was named the MAC Offensive Player of the Week two times in 2007.

Estienne Coetzee (Bloemfontein, South Africa) received All-MAC Second Team honors for the third year in a row. Coetzee scored nine goals this season, including three game-winners, and totaled 19 points and 20 shots.

The Bobcats are No. 16 in the STX/NFHCA National Coaches Poll and earned the No. 1 seed in the 2007 MAC Field Hockey Tournament. The Bobcats will face Central Michigan in the first game of the semifinals tomorrow at 12 p.m.