FOREST, Va. --- Three squads placed six players each on All-ODAC teams and the special awards were split between Shenandoah University and Washington and Lee University to highlight the 2016 All-ODAC Field Hockey Awards. Generals' forward Maggie Waxter was named the ODAC Player of the Year, while teammate Kendall Peterson earned ODAC/Virgina Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete recognition. Shenandoah mentor Ashley Smeltzer-Kraft was tabbed the ODAC Coach of the Year, while first-year Hornet Taylor Hayes took home the ODAC Rookie of the Year award.

Seventeen standouts returned to an all-conference team from last year's season-ending list, including eight that garnered All-ODAC First Team laurels this season. Eastern Mennonite defender Emily Augsburger, Lynchburg forward Nikki Simpao, Roanoke forward Shelbi Holloman and defender Kellie Jasinski, and Washington and Lee midfielder Kendall Peterson and Waxter repeat as first team honorees. LC's Hannah Krause moved up from the All-ODAC Second Team, while SU's Elizabeth Pardo made the leap from the All-ODAC Third Team.

Waxter, a senior from Baltimore, Md., spearheaded a Generals' attack that led the ODAC with 71 goals scored and 41 assists. She finished second in the ODAC with 45 points and 19 goals while sitting fourth in assists with seven. She registered at least one point in 13-of-19 games played with seven games of three points or more. Waxter recorded a season-high eight points on three goals and two assists in the W&L's win over Virginia Wesleyan, and twice had games of six points in wins over McDaniel College and Eastern Mennonite. She notched five game-winning goals on the season, including an all-important brace in a 2-1 win over Bridgewater in the conference tournament semifinals. Waxter found the net twice in the second half of that contest, helping W&L erase a 1-0 halftime deficit and secure a spot in the ODAC championship game for the second straight season.

Smeltzer-Kraft is in her third season guiding the Shenandoah field hockey program.  This is her second ODAC top-coaching honor, pairing this award with the one she earned in 2013. Smeltzer-Kraft guided her squad to a 13-8 overall mark and a 5-3 league finish towards the fourth seed in the conference postseason. Having won two-straight entering the tournament, SU ran its winning streak to a current five-game run that includes a 2-0 victory over Washington and Lee in the ODAC title game. That win secured the first league crown for the program and just the second ODAC championship for Shenandoah since it became a full-time member in 2012-13. Smeltzer-Kraft owns a 46-32 (.590) career record thru this past weekend, and leads her team into the NCAA Division III Tournament at first round opponent University of Rochester on Wednesday. Smeltzer-Kraft was an assistant coach at U of R for five seasons prior to taking the reins at SU.

Hayes, a freshman from Fredericksburg, Va., stepped right into the Hornets' lineup and started 20-of-21 games played. She is currently tied for #1 in the ODAC with 10 assists and ranks seventh with 26 points when adding in her eight goals scored. Hayes shook off a tough start to the season to finish on a tear.  She is currently on a eight-game streak of registering at least one point and ticked the scoresheet in 11 of her past 13 outings. She has three games of three points or better with a season-high career-high of six points in a win over Sweet Briar, a two goal effort against Roanoke, and a three-point outing in a win at Virginia Wesleyan. Hayes was strong in the ODAC Tournament, combining for four points in three games including the game-winning goal in overtime to defeat Lynchburg in the semifinals.

Peterson, a senior from Towson, Md., stands out both on and off the field for Washington and Lee. In the classroom, Peterson boasts a 3.729 grade point average as an Accounting and Business Administration double major. She a multi-honoree on the All-ODAC Academic Team and a member of the Generals Leadership Academy. She is also a student in W&L's Latin American and Caribbean Studies (LACS) program. One the field, Peterson is a three-time All-ODAC honoree, having earned first team accolades the past two seasons. The Generals' playmaker is tied atop the ODAC charts with 10 assists, adding in three goals for 16 points this season. She had back-to-back three-point games in wins over Randolph-Macon and McDaniel, scoring a goal and dishing out an assist in each outing.

Listed below are the 2016 All-ODAC Field Hockey Awards.  For more information, visit any of the participating schools' websites, or go to the ODAC's home on the Internet at www.odaconline.com.  Don't forget to become a fan of the ODAC on Facebook and follow @odacathletics on Twitter and Instagram.

ODAC Player of the Year: Maggie Waxter, Sr., Forward, Washington and Lee
ODAC Coach of the Year: Ashley Smeltzer-Kraft, Shenandoah
ODAC Rookie of the Year: Taylor Hayes, Fr., Midfielder, Shenandoah
ODAC/Virginia Farm Bureau Insurance Scholar-Athlete: Kendall Peterson, Sr., Midfielder, Washington and Lee