Wolverine Quartet Earn NFHCA All-Region Selections
11/13/2006 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
ANN ARBOR, Mich. -- Four members of the University of Michigan field hockey team were selected to STX/NFHCA Division I All-West teams, the National Field Hockey Coaches Association announced today (Nov. 13). Seniors Mary Fox (St. Louis, Mo./Cor Jesu Academy) and Lucia Belassi (Paysandu, Uruguay/Liceo #1) were selected to the 16-member first team, while senior Beth Riley (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra Area HS) and freshman Paige Laytos (Lititz, Pa./Warwick HS) earned NFHCA All-Region second team honors.
Fox, a 2006 consensus All-Big Ten first team selection, earned All-West Region first team recognition from the NFHCA for the second time during her U-M career, adding to her distinction in 2005. The senior forward ranked third in scoring for the Wolverines and tallied a career-high 11 assists, moving her to fifth among the all-time U-M assists leaders with 28.
Belassi earned first-team All-Region honors for the first time after leading the Wolverines with a career-high 10 goals and 25 points. An All-Big Ten first team selection, she doubled her stat total in every offensive category -- goals, assists, points -- from her previous two seasons combined.
The honors mark the 11th consecutive year the Wolverines placed at least two representatives on the All-Region first team. With their first-team All-Region status, Fox and Belassi are candidates for the STX/NFHCA All-America team. The group will be announced on Monday, Nov. 20, a day after the conclusion of the NCAA Championship in Winston-Salem, N.C.
Riley received All-Region honors for the first time in her career in recognition of her defensive role in the U-M cage. Riley, a All-Big Ten second team selection, set new U-M career goalkeeping standards in games played (80) and wins (57) while ranking among the program's top five in saves (359), shutouts (16) and goals-against average (1.34).
Laytos, an All-Big Ten second team selection, ranked fifth in scoring for the Wolverines this season with four goals, five assists and 13 points. One of only three freshmen selected to the All-West Region team, Laytos started all 20 games this season on Michigan's forward line.
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
