WEST LONG BRANCH, N.J. - Red-shirt senior Enza Mazza (Oceanport, N.J./Shore Regional) and sophomore Ashley McPeek (Hazlet, N.J./St. John Vianney) were two of four members of the Monmouth University field hockey team who earned All-Northeast Conference honors on Thursday, as announced by league officials. On the eve before the Hawks take the field for NEC Championship semi-final play for the first time in five seasons, Mazza and McPeek were honored with All-NEC First-Team recognition while freshman Michelle Pieczynski (Doylestown, Pa./Central Bucks West) and senior Sarah Keppel (Northampton, Pa./Northampton) earned All-NEC Second-Team distinctions.
"It's a great honor to see four of our own be recognized for their success this season," said Head Coach Carli Figlio. "It's a tribute to not only the hard work those four have put into this season, but to the team as a whole. The level of play from this year's team has risen and we look forward to a great {NEC Championship} tournament."
Mazza and Keppel each earned their second career postseason accolades, a first-team and second-team honor for Mazza and two second-team nods for Keppel, while McPeek and Pieczynski each earned their first All-NEC awards. Mazza and Keppel also became the 11th and 12th Hawks all time to receive multiple All-NEC honors over their careers joining last year's multi-year recipient, Molly Passarella.
The Hawks placed four on the All-NEC teams for the first time since 2002 when the Hawks had five earn post-season awards. MU also placed two on the All-NEC First-Team for the first time since 2003.
Leading the Hawks all season long, Mazza earned her first career first-team nod after more than doubling her statistical output from the last three years combined. Mazza paced the Hawks in all offensive categories, posting 11 goals, seven assists, and 29 points this year has re-written the MU all-time record book as she now stands third all time in goals (17), second all time in assists (11), and third all time in points (45). She has also etching her name into the single season record books this year as she ranks third in goals and third in points while owning the assist record. The veteran paced the NEC in shots (89) and shots per game (4.68) while finishing third in goals, third place tie in assists, and fourth in points.
Emerging as one the NEC's premier midfielders, McPeek earned her first All-NEC First-team award after finishing third on the team in goals and points, tallying four goals, two assists, and 10 points on the season. The sophomore provided a spark in the middle all season long, posting two game-winning goals in 2009 and scored the Hawks' lone goal against NEC rival Rider, who the Hawks will take on tomorrow morning in the NEC Championships.
Anchoring the Hawks defense again this season, Keppel also provided an offensive spark, earning herself her second career All-Conference honor. A defensive stalwart for a Hawks team that finished fifth in goals against average, Keppel finished the season ranked fifth on the team in goals and points, posting two goals and four points this season. The gritty veteran also notched a game-winner and defensive save in 2009.
Making the most of her rookie season, Pieczynski posted one of the best performances of any newcomer in Monmouth program history. The freshman finished the regular season with eight goals, two assists, 26 points, and a team-high three game-winning goals. Pieczynski finished behind only Mazza for the team lead in goals and points. The rookie earned NEC Rookie of the Week honors twice this season, as she led all freshmen in scoring while finishing second in balloting for NEC Rookie of the Year. She was one of only two freshmen to earn All-NEC distinctions and was ranked sixth in goals, eighth in points, and second in game-winning goals in the NEC. Pieczynski has also made her mark in the MU single season books as she is in a sixth place tie in goals (8) and a seventh place tie in points (18).
Monmouth finished in a second-place tie with Quinnipiac for the most All-NEC honorees this season with Rider earning the most including three major awards. Rider's Virginia Eguisquiza, reigning NEC Rookie of the Year, earned Player of the Year distinctions while Lock Haven's Amy Hordendorf and Alanna Lewis earned Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year honors. Quinnipiac's Jenna Grossman was named Goalkeeper of the Year and Rider's Marlaine Schneider and Head Coach Lori Hussong earned Rookie of the Year and Coach of the Year awards.
MU finished the regular season 8-11 earning their first trip to the NEC Championship since 2004, and the first trip for Coach Figlio in her young tenure at MU.
Monmouth will return to play tomorrow morning as the fourth seeded Hawks will take on the top seeded Rider Broncs at 11:00 a.m. at Mercer County College in West Windsor, N.J. in the first semi-final game of the 2009 NEC Field Hockey Championships.
