Fox, Belassi Headline Wolverine All-Conference Quintet
11/2/2006 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
ANN ARBOR -- The University of Michigan field hockey team placed five players on the All-Big Ten Conference teams, the league announced Thursday evening (Thursday, Nov. 2) at the annual tournament banquet. Senior forward Mary Fox (St. Louis, Mo./Cor Jesu Academy) and junior forward Lucia Belassi (Paysandu, Uruguay/Liceo #1) were named All-Big Ten first team, while freshman forward Paige Laytos (Lititz, Pa./Warwick HS), senior back Kara Lentz (Manchester, Mass./St. Paul's School) and senior goalkeeper Beth Riley (Palmyra, Pa./Palmyra Area HS) received second team recognition.
Fox, who earned first-team honors for the second straight season, shares the Big Ten's second spot in assists with a career-high 11 helpers, and enters this weekend's Big Ten Tournament second on the team in scoring with 3-11-17 totals. One of four unanimous selections to the squad, Fox was a second-team selection as a sophomore (2004) and will represent the Wolverines at the 2006 NFHCA Senior All-Star game.
Belassi earned her first career All-Big Ten selection after posting career-high numbers in every scoring category this season. The junior forward leads the Wolverines with 25 points, eclipsing her previous career high of 15 set during a 24-game span last season. Belassi's 2006 output doubles her point total from her first two seasons combined.
Laytos rounds out the Wolverines' forward representatives, listing as one of only two freshmen among the all-conference selections. She shares the fifth spot on the team in scoring this season with 4-5-13 totals, and was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week after scoring five points in the Wolverines' weekend sweep of Michigan State on Oct. 6 and Miami of Ohio on Oct. 8.
Lentz serves as a contributing member of the U-M defensive corps that allowed an average of just 1.67 goals per game in Big Ten action, holding teams to 5.41 penalty corners per game. As a primary striker on the Wolverines penalty corner over the last two seasons, Lentz owns career stats of nine goals and 13 assists, and will also represent Michigan at the 2006 NFHCA Senior All-Star Game.
A four-year mainstay in the U-M cage, Riley has rewritten the Wolverines' goalkeeping record book with new standards in career games played (79) and career wins (57), along with top-five marks in career shutouts (16) and career goals-against average (1.34). She backstopped the Wolverines to back-to-back conference tournament titles in 2004-05, and was selected as a member of the 2005 Big Ten All-Tournament team.
Senior Jill Civic (Wescosville, Pa./Emmaus HS) was selected as Michigan's recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award, given annually to student-athletes who distinguish themselves through good sportsmanship and ethical behavior, as well as demonstrate academic excellence and good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting. A four-year starter and three-time Academic All-Big Ten recipient, Civic has established herself as a steadfast fixture in the U-M backfield after playing forward and midfield roles in her first two seasons. Boasting 86 career games to rank just outside the Michigan's top-10 in the category, she owns 15-1-31 career totals.
The 15th-ranked Wolverines will open Big Ten Tournament action tomorrow (Friday, Nov. 3) with a first-round contest against Iowa. The game is scheduled for a 12:30 p.m. start at Phyllis Ocker Field.
2006 All-Big Ten Field Hockey Honors
| FIRST TEAM# Haley Exner, Jr., goalkeeper, Indiana Morgan Miller, Sr., defense, Indiana Lydia Schrott, Sr., forward, Indiana *Heather Schnepf, Sr., defense, Iowa Lucia Belassi, Jr., forward, U-M *Mary Fox, Sr., midfield, U-M *Yesenia Luces, Jr., midfield, Ohio State *Saskia Mueller, Sr., defense, Ohio State Curlyne Wynn, Sr., forward, Ohio State Shaun Banta, Sr., forward, Penn State Annelise Legel, Sr., midfield, Penn State Kiersten Wood, Jr., midfield, Penn State * unanimous selection # Additional honorees due to ties | SECOND TEAM# Caitlin McCurdy, So., forward, Iowa Kadi Sickel, Jr., defense, Iowa Kara Lentz, Sr., defense, U-M Paige Laytos, Fr., forward, U-M Beth Riley, Sr., goalkeeper, U-M Ashley Pernicano, Sr., midfield, MSU Floor Rijpma, Fr., forward, MSU Amanda Care, Jr., midfield, Northwestern Meghan Small, Sr., midfield, Northwestern Linda Haussener, Sr., midfield, Ohio State Lauren Kruse, Sr., forward, Ohio State Jen Long, So., defense, Penn State |
Athlete of the Year: Saskia Mueller, Ohio State
Offensive Player of the Year: Yesenia Luces, Ohio State
Defensive Player of the Year: Heather Schnepf, Iowa
Freshman of the Year: Meghan Beamesderfer, Iowa
Coach of the Year: Anne Wilkinson, Ohio State
Sportsmanship Award Honorees
Rachel Telian, Jr.,
Kara Zappone, Sr.,
Jill Civic, Sr.,
Amy Schneider, Jr., Michigan State
Lauren Przyborowski, Sr., Northwestern
Florencia Stier, Sr., Ohio State
Casey Maser, Sr., Penn State
Contact: Leah Howard (734) 763-4423
