Two Simmons Field Hockey players have been named to the North Atlantic Conference Fall 2008 All-Academic Team. Junior forward Emily Sypher (Orono, Maine) and Junior goalkeeper Jen Szkolt (Bondsville, Mass.) both received the honor. To be honored, a student-athlete must have reached junior academic standing, have competed a minimum two years in their sport with a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.50.

"The hard work Jen and Syph put into Field Hockey clearly translates to their studies," said Head Coach Kate Leonard. "Both of these young ladies worked hard to improve our team on the field, and it is great to see their academic diligence recognized, too."

Sypher, a Psychology and Art major, has a 3.83 cumulative GPA. She is a three-year member of the Simmons Field Hockey team. She has 10 career goals for the Sharks, four of them in the 2008 season. Also in 2008 Sypher tallied five assists, and started in all 18 games on the schedule.

Szkolt, a Physical Therapy major, has a 3.66 cumulative GPA. She is also a three-year field hockey player at Simmons, and has been heralded for her switch to goalkeeper for the Sharks in her sophomore and junior seasons, filling a crucial gap on the field. In the past two seasons, she has made 116 saves, 89 of them in more than 993 minutes of play in2008. Szkolt also defended two shut-outs for Simmons in 2008.