NFHCA Honors Program-Record 16 Blue Hens as Academic Squad Recipients

4/2/2018 4:40:00 PM | Field Hockey

By: Delaware Athletics

CHANDLER, Ariz. – The NFHCA handed out its annual academic honors recently and named a record 16 University of Delaware field hockey student-athletes to its National Academic Squad for their work in the classroom.

The 2017 ZAG Field Hockey/NFHCA Division I National Academic Squad recognizes individuals who have achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or higher during the first semester of the 2016-17 academic year, which is arguably the busiest time of the year for the student-athletes as they are amidst their championship season.

The Blue Hens also tied a program-record with two student-athletes selected as Division I Scholars of Distinction in freshmen Conner Allen and Emily Kresho. The Division I Scholars of Distinction program recognizes those student-athletes who have achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.90 or higher through the first semester of the 2017-18 academic year.

“Congratulations to our UDFH student-athletes that were named to the Zag Field Hockey/NFHCA Division I National Academic Squad,” remarked head coach Rolf van de Kerkhof. “Our players group continues to shine and showcases themselves being amazing, balanced and self-driven student-athletes and people. They know what they want out of their intercollegiate experience and are ready to prepare for their personal and team academic and hockey goals.

Van de Kerkhof continued, “For us to have a new record, number-wise, with 16 players on the National Academic Squad is a tribute to them, their hard work and their desire to work together. As a program we are very proud of having over two-thirds of our roster being listed on the National Academic Squad and look forward to see what 2018 may bring academically for our UDFH student-athletes.”

Since 2004 and prior to 2013, the Blue Hens never had more than seven student-athletes honored with NFHCA Academic Squad accolades. In 2013 and 2015, Delaware had a dozen student-athletes recognized while the Hens had 13 acknowledged in the last season.

Earlier this month, the NFHCA recognized Delaware for the seventh straight season under Van de Kerkhof and his staff as a National Academic Team.

“Another outstanding development thanks to our team's academic and athletic success is the improved opportunities our UDFH student-athletes are creating for themselves and each other related to graduate school application and admittance, job opportunities or even continue playing hockey upon graduation from the University of Delaware,” Van de Kerkhof stated. “They understand that graduating a successful student-athlete allows them to not only dream bigger but also puts them in a better position to take the next step in their personal and professional lives. I want to thank our University of Delaware faculty, academic advisors and our Student Services for Athletes staff for working with our UDFH student-athletes and allowing them to pursue their dreams as Blue Hens!”

The Blue Hens wrapped 2017 with their fifth straight Colonial Athletic Association Tournament title and an overall record of 15-5.

2017 Zag Field Hockey / NFHCA Division I National Academic Squad

Conner Allen #	Freshman	English	Centreville, Md./Queen Anne's County
Kiki Bink	Junior	Mechanical Engineering	Wageningen, The Netherlands/RSG Pantarijn
MaryCate Butler	Junior	Neuroscience	Collegeville, Pa./Villa Maria Academy
Lauren Crudele	Senior	Mass Communications	Voorhees, N.J./Bishop Eustace
Kayla Devlin	Senior	Mathematics & Economics	Annapolis, Md./Annapolis
Lisa Giezeman	Junior	Finance	Leidschendam, The Netherlands
Sarah Horgan	Sophomore	Cognitive Sciences	Centreville, Va./Westfield
Emily Kresho #	Freshman	Computer Science	Fredericksburg, Va./Stafford Senior
Taylor Lister	Senior	Exercise Science	Hummelstown, Pa./Lower Dauphin
Emmeline Oltmans *	Senior	Biological Sciences	Baarn, The Netherlands/Het Baarnsch Lyceum
Michaela Scanlon	Junior	Biology	Wynnewood, Pa./Merion Mercy Academy
Ellie Schepens	Freshman	Computer Engineering	Severna Park, Md./Severna Park
Femke Strien	Freshman	Health Behavior Science	IJsselstein, The Netherlands/Cals College Nieuwegein
Michelle Thomas	Sophomore	Criminal Justice	Damascus, Md./Damascus
Joosje van Weperen	Freshman	Biological Sciences	Naarden, The Netherlands/Gemeentelijk Gymnasium Hilversum
Emma Velez	Freshman	Exercise Science	Coatesville, Pa./Bishop Shanahan