NFHCA Honors 15 Blue Hens as Academic Squad Recipients

Photo by: Mark Campbell

NFHCA Honors 15 Blue Hens as Academic Squad Recipients

3/18/2019 2:04:00 PM | Field Hockey

GILBERT, Ariz. – The NFHCA handed out its annual academic honors Monday and named 15 University of Delaware field hockey student-athletes to its National Academic Squad for their work in the classroom.

The 2018 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 2018-19 academic year, which is arguably the busiest time of the year for the student-athletes as they are amidst their championship season.

Honorees include Conner Allen, Kiki Bink, Lizzie Gaebel, Lisa Giezeman, Becca Harbert, Grace Hoepfner, Sarah Horgan, Ashley Iannuzzi, Sarah Iannuzzi, Emily Kresho, Grace Miller, Michaela Scanlon, Ellie Schepens, Femke Strien and Bo van Hunnik. Bink and Giezeman finish their illustrious careers as four-year recipients of the award.

"This is a big compliment for our student-athletes," remarked Delaware head coach Rolf van de Kerkhof. "Although they will enjoy this honor and recognition, they know this comes with the territory of being a UDFH student-athlete. It is great to see our honored students are able to show academic success in a wide range of majors, including engineering and the sciences, while competing as high-level Division I athletes. This is also a big tribute to our current and former student-athletes for showing that one can pursue a chosen major and career field while balancing the demands of competitive league and NCAA competition, studying abroad and winning championships."

In five of the last six seasons, Delaware had at least a dozen student-athletes recognized.

Earlier this month, the NFHCA honored the Blue hens for the eighth straight season under Van de Kerkhof and his staff as a National Academic Team.

"The outlook is looking bright for our program as our current and future Blue Hens understand the importance that creating their future opportunities start today," Van de Kerkhof stated. "Our student-athletes are aware of and utilize the great resources the University of Delaware has in place for them to mature and develop as students, as athletes and most importantly as young people and leaders of tomorrow. On behalf of our program, I want to thank our student-athletes for the ongoing commitment they make to their academics and their own personal futures. Thanks to their personal and positive growth, our program is in the position to highlight them and celebrate their experiences and successes."

MEDIA CONTACT: Maggie Hayon, Assistant Athletics Communications Director | mhayon@udel.edu | O: 302-831-6389