CHANDLER, Ariz. – Simmons College field hockey players Julie Saltamartini (East Hampstead, N.H.) and Maizy Wagner (Chester County, Pa.) have been named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association/Longstreth New England East Region First Team, it was announced today by the NFHCA.
The Sharks have had three players named to the All-Region First Team in the past two seasons and the pair selected this year marks the first time in school history that the program has had two First Team All-Region honorees selected.
Saltamartini was previously honored three weeks ago by the Great Northeast Athletic Conference as the Offensive Player of the Year and a First Team All-Conference designee. The sophomore is the first player in school history to be named a Conference Offensive Player of the Year in field hockey. She tied for the league lead with 17 goals, while ranking third with 37 points, including three assists. Her goal and point season totals ranked as the second-most in program history. The forward made her scores count, racking up a league-high five game-winning markers. Saltamartini was among the most consistent point scorers in the nation, notching at least one point in 14 of 18 matches, while ranking 28th in all of NCAA III with 0.94 goals per game. The second-year player registered multiple goals on four occasions, including a pair of scores in Simmons' 3-0 victory over Johnson & Wales University in the GNAC Tournament Semifinals. She also assisted on the game-winning tally in a 1-0 win over Saint Joseph's College on October 7 to capture the league championship and earn All-Tournament Team accolades. The Nursing major began the season by being named the GNAC Player of the Week for the week of August 31 to September 6. In just two seasons, the Pinkerton Academy product has already tallied 71 career points and 32 goals to place her third all-time at Simmons in both categories. Saltamartini has started 27 of 36 career matches, while striking for 10 game-winning goals.
Wagner caps an outstanding campaign with her All-Region selection after being named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Year and a First Team choice recently by the league. She earned Defensive Player of the Year honors to become the first Shark to earn that distinction. The sophomore made the switch to defense this season and excelled on the back line, helping Simmons post a school-record 12 shutouts for a rate of 0.63 shutouts per game to lead the nation. Wagner keyed a pair of those shutouts in the GNAC Championship Tournament and was tabbed for the All-Tournament squad. The defender started all 19 matches and led a defensive unit that posted a paltry 0.68 goals against average to rank fifth among NCAA Division III squads. She also helped the Sharks defense hold opponents to just 6.4 shots per match, allowing only 122 in 19 contests, including nine matches with less than five allowed and eight occasions where the opponent has failed to record a shot in a half. A graduate of Wyoming Seminary Preparatory School, Wagner tallied three points with a goal and an assist. In two seasons, she has started all 38 contests she's appeared in with two goals and an assist.
Simmons finished the season with a 14-5 record, while winning the GNAC Championship for the second straight season. The Sharks advanced to the First Round of the NCAA Tournament, but fell to State University of New York at New Paltz, 1-0, on November 11.