CHANDLER, Ariz. – Simmons College field hockey player Avery Hines (Newburyport, Mass.) was named to the 2014 Longstreth National Field Hockey Coaches Association New England East Region First Team it was announced today by the NFHCA. 

Hines was part of a defense that was a major reason for the Sharks' success and first-ever conference championship and NCAA Tournament appearance. It cannot be overstated how important the defense was for Simmons this season and Hines was a major cog in that effort. The back becomes the first player in school history to earn All-Region First Team honors after contributing to a defensive front that posted a 1.18 goals against average to rank second in the conference and 20^th in the nation. She was a key to the team's ability to not only prevent goals, but also shots, limiting opponents to just 9.8 shots per contest. A two-year Captain for Simmons, Hines was named to the Great Northeast Athletic Conference First Team last week and was a Second Team All-North Atlantic Conference selection a year ago. A graduate of Newburyport High School, Hines finished her career by starting 58 times during her 63-game tenure, while making eight defensive saves. The senior was also named to this year's GNAC All-Tournament team. 

The Sharks finished the season with a 13-6 mark, while winning the GNAC crown for the first conference championship in program history. Simmons bowed out of the first round of the NCAA Tournament with a 2-0 loss to host University of New England on November 12.