University of Delaware Athletics
Field Hockey Repeats as Preseason Favorite, Duffhuis Tabbed Preseason Player of the Year
8/14/2023 4:15:00 PM | Field Hockey
RICHMOND, Va. – For the second year in a row, the Blue & Gold was tabbed the preseason favorite in the CAA while senior back Julia Duffhuis was named the Preseason Player of the Year, the conference announced Monday afternoon.
The Blue Hens garnered five of the seven first place votes to lead the way with 35 points. Monmouth followed Delaware with 32 points and received the two remaining votes. William & Mary edged out both Drexel and Northeastern with 21 points for the third spot while the Dragons and Huskies notched 20 points each for fourth-place tie. Hofstra finished sixth with 10 points followed by Towson with nine to round out the field.
Duffhuis, a Bergeijk, Netherlands native, enters the 2023 season as the two-time reigning CAA Defensive Player of the Year. The back-to-back All-American led the Hens with 14 goals and 32 points last season, adding four assists to her ledger.
Seniors Berber Bakermans and Kiki Oudshoorn joined Duffhuis on the preseason awards list as Bakermans was named to the All-CAA Preseason team while Oudshoorn was named Honorable Mention. Bakermans led the conference with 17 assists and was fourth in points with 25, while Oudshoorn finished with three goals and nine assists, making her the sixth Delaware player with double digit points last season.
Delaware's 2023 season kicks off on Friday, Aug. 25 with a matchup against VCU as the Blue Hens look for their 12th CAA championship and fourth in a row, dating back to 2019.
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