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Field Hockey Places Five on Academic All-MAC Squad
Dec. 9, 2008
CLEVELAND - Five Ohio field hockey players were named to the Academic All-Mid-American Conference team, the league office announced Tuesday, Dec. 9. The Bobcats had more student-athletes on the Academic Team than any other school and accounted for 41.6 percent of the 12-woman squad. Seniors Estienne Coetzee, Rachelle Coetzee, Nikki Gnozzio, Jessie Martin and junior Marcy Dull were all honored for their work on and off the field this season, giving Ohio its most-ever recipients in one season. "To have five players named to the team is excellent," Ohio head coach Neil Macmillan said. "I think that is a good indication of what we're really about both on and off the field here at Ohio." Estienne (Bloemfontein, S.A.) is an accounting and management information systems major, who carried a 3.96 grade-point average through the season. The selection is her third-straight to the Academic Team. A Second-Team All-MAC honoree in 2008, Estienne played in 21 games, while starting 20. She scored four goals and earned four assists during the season, doubling her career assists total from her first three years at Ohio in one season. Her three assists in conference play tied for sixth. She took 19 shots, with 12 landing on goal. Rachelle (Bloemfontein, S.A.) is also an accounting and management information systems major, like her sister, and had a 3.97 GPA during the season. She is now a three-time Academic Team honoree, as well. The 2008 First-Team All-MAC, Second-Team All-West Region and All-Tournament Team selection played in all 23 games this year, while starting 21 of them. Rachelle led the team with 11 goals, which ranked sixth in the conference, including two game-winners. She was second on the team with six assists, good enough for eighth in the MAC, and had a total of 28 points, which tied for fifth in the league. Rachelle also led the team with 62 shots, fourth in the MAC, and 29 shots on goal. In league play only, she was fourth in shots (36), tied for fourth in points (17), tied for third in goals (7) and tied for sixth in assists (3). Rachelle was named MAC Female Scholar Athlete of the Week Sept. 4 and played in the NFHCA Division I Senior All-Star Game on Nov. 22, as one of 38 players nationally chosen to compete. Gnozzio (Flanders, N.J.) is a sport management major and had a 3.68 GPA in the fall. She is now a two-time Academic Team recipient. An All-MAC First Team and All-Tournament Team selection in 2008, she was twice named the MAC's Defensive Player of the Week during the season. Gnozzio led an Ohio defense that recorded five shutouts and gave up an average of just 1.65 goals a game, while starting all 23 games this year. She also was third on the team with five goals (on only eight shots) and led the team with eight assists, both of which were career bests for her in a single season. She scored two game-winning goals and racked up 18 points, which tied for second on the team. Her eight assists ranked sixth in the MAC. Martin (Louisville, Ky.), who already graduated with a bachelor's degree in sport management, had a 3.37 GPA during the season, and is another repeat selection to the Academic Team. The 2008 First-Team All-MAC selection started all 23 games in goal for Ohio this season, recording 11 wins and three shutouts (while playing the majority of the time in Ohio's two team shutouts). She made a career-best 115 saves on the season, ranking third in the league, while her 1,652 minutes played was tops in the conference. She made a career-high 15 saves on Sept. 3 against Ohio State, which tied for the 13th-most saves by one goalie in a Division I game this past season. Martin's 1.57 goals against average ranked 20th in the country, while her 75.7 save percentage was 17th in the nation and both ranked second in the MAC. She was named the MAC's Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 16 and was one of 38 players nationally who competed in the NFHCA Division I Senior All-Star Game Nov. 22 (along with Ohio's Rachelle Coetzee). Dull (Ephrata, Pa.) is a finance and marketing major who carried a 3.59 grade-point average during the season. A 2008 All-Tournament Team honoree, Dull started all 23 games for Ohio this season. She scored seven goals, including her first-career hat trick on Nov. 6 in a 7-0 MAC quarterfinal win over Missouri State. Two of her goals were game winners. She also chipped in two assists, giving her 16 points on the year. Marcy was second on the team with 44 shots and 26 shots on goal, ranking seventh in the MAC in shots. Three Bobcats, senior Lauren Stahlhuth (St. Louis, Mo.), junior Taylor Anderson (Pittsburgh, Pa.) and sophomore Louzeth Schutte (Senekal, S.A.), earned Academic Honorable Mention from the MAC, as all three had GPAs above a 3.2. Kent State put the second-most student-athletes on the Academic All-MAC Team, with three recipients. Miami had two, while Central Michigan and Ball State each placed one on the squad. The Academic All-MAC honor is for a student-athlete who has excelled in athletics and academics. To qualify, a student-athlete must have at least a 3.20 cumulative GPA and have participated in at least 50 percent of the contests for that particular sport. Academic All-MAC Team |
