LC's Steele and WLU's Orrison Split Top Coaching Award
SALEM, Va. --- Eastern Mennonite University
picked up a pair of top honors and placed three players on the
first team amongst the 2009 All-ODAC Field Hockey awards. The
Royals' Alyssa Derstine and Karissa Sauder collected the Player of
the Year and ODAC/Farm Bureau Scholar-Athlete of the Year awards,
respectively. Virginia Wesleyan College's Taylor Harding
earned Rookie of the Year accolades, while Lynchburg College's Enza
Steele and Washington and Lee University's Wendy Orrison split the
Coach of the Year honor.
Derstine, a senior forward, earned the Player of the Year award for
the second-straight year, while leading the Royals to a 10-8
overall record and a 6-1 showing in conference play.
Additionally, this marks the third-consecutive year Derstine has
been tabbed to the All-ODAC First Team. Derstine led Eastern
Mennonite in scoring with 37 points on 16 goals and five assists
this season. EMU entered the ODAC tournament as the second
seed and made it to the championship game before falling to
Lynchburg, 1-0.
Sauder, a senior defender, adds the ODAC/Farm Bureau
Scholar-Athlete award to a first team selection this season.
Sauder boasts a 3.96 grade point average while majoring in liberal
arts with minor concentrations in pre-law, political studies and
bible & religion. She is a perennial member of the
Eastern Mennonite Dean's List, and was named to the 2007 ZAG/NFHCA
Division III National Academic Squad. On the field, Sauder
started all 18 games for the Royals and recorded two defensive
saves.
Harding, a freshman defender, made an immediate impact on the
backline for the Marlins. She started all 17 games for VWC
and recorded a conference-best 20 defensive saves. Her
efforts helped Virginia Wesleyan post two shutouts on the
season.
Steele, who earned the Coach of the Year award for the ninth time
in her career, led her 2009 squad to their fourth-straight
conference crown. The Hornets move on to face Juniata College
in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament in Lynchburg
on Wednesday. Orrison has collected the league's top coaching
honor three times with her last coming after the 2005 season.
The Generals entered the tournament as the third seed and
eventually fell in the semifinals to second-seeded EMU, 3-1.
WLU capped its season with a 10-7 overall mark and a 5-2 conference
record.
Below are the 2009 All-ODAC Field Hockey Teams. For more
information on ODAC field hockey, visit any of the participating
schools' websites, or to the ODAC's NEW home on
the Internet at www.odaconline.com.
PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Alyssa Derstine, Eastern
Mennonite
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Taylor Harding, Virginia
Wesleyan
CO-COACH OF THE YEAR: Enza Steele, LC/Wendy
Orrison, Washington and Lee
ODAC/FARM BUREAU SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR: Karissa
Sauder, Eastern Mennonite
ALL-ODAC FIRST TEAM:
Sallie Armstrong, Sr., Washington and Lee
Alyssa Derstine, Sr., Eastern Mennonite
Kalah Hess, Jr., Bridgewater
Grace McGee, Sr., Washington and Lee
Signey Milks, Sr., Lynchburg
Sarah Roth, Sr., Eastern Mennonite
Karissa Sauder, Sr., Eastern Mennonite
Christina Scichilone, So., Roanoke
Allie Weir, Sr., Lynchburg
Jenny Weir, Jr., Lynchburg
Allie Wheeler, Sr., Randolph-Macon
ALL-ODAC SECOND TEAM:
Chelsea Baker, So., Virginia Wesleyan
Joan Burleson, Fr., Bridgewater
Taylor Harding, Fr., Virginia Wesleyan
Nicole Klee, Sr., Randolph-Macon
Val Landis, So., Eastern Mennonite
Sammy Marano, Sr., Lynchburg
Emmy Mathews, Jr., Washington and Lee
Mary McCarthy, Jr., Randolph-Macon
Shelly Milks, Fr., Lynchburg
Lee Sheldon, So., Roanoke
Madeline Wilson, So., Sweet Briar
ALL-ODAC HONORABLE MENTION:
Lindsay Eneguess, Jr., Sweet Briar
Caitlin Gibb, Jr., Lynchburg
Caroline Habliston, Sr., Washington and Lee
Brianna Jacques, Jr., Bridgewater
Kendall Lam, Jr., Randolph-Macon
Vanessa Landis, Jr., Eastern Mennonite
Stephanie Mansey, Sr., Washington and Lee
Valerie Nowlan, So., Virginia Wesleyan
Jessica Perkins, Jr., Roanoke
Christina Pybus, Sr., Bridgewater
Mariah Vietri, Sr., Roanoke