CHANDLER, Ariz. – Simmons College field hockey player Julie Saltamartini (East Hampstead, N.H.) was named to the Longstreth/National Field Hockey Coaches Association New England East Region First Team and Robin Powell (Richmond, Vt.) was tabbed to the Second Team, it was announced today by the NFHCA.
The Sharks have had five players earn All-Region status, including four to the First Team in the past three seasons.
Saltamartini is a First Team selection for the second year in a row. The junior was also named the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year for the second straight year three weeks ago in addition to earning First Team All-Conference status for the third consecutive season. The forward tied for the conference lead with eight goals in league matches and finished the season with 45 points and 20 goals in all games to rank second among GNAC leaders. She also placed seventh with a career-high five assists. The junior was one of the most prolific scorers in all of NCAA Division III with 1.05 goals per game to stand 17th in the nation, while ranking 21st in the country with 2.37 points per match. Saltamartini registered four game-winning scores as well for the second-most in the league. The Pinkerton Academy product started all but one of the Sharks' 19 contests and notched at least one point in 10 of them. Saltamartini tallied multiple goals on six occasions, including a school-record tying four markers vs. Nichols College on September 8. Her record-performance was one of three hat tricks on the year for the offensive juggernaut. The Granite State native earned GNAC Offensive Player of the Week accolades twice and put together a five-game scoring streak from October 15 to November 2 that saw her pile up 21 points on nine goals and three assists during the stretch. She became just the third player in school history to surpass the 100-point mark on October 19 after scoring three times at New England College and became the second player in school annals to reach the 50-goal plateau with two markers at Johnson & Wales University on October 22.
Saltamartini has already established herself as one of the greatest offensive players in school history, ranking second all-time for Simmons with 52 goals and third with 116 points in 55 career matches. She has made 52 starts during her tenure, while scoring 13 game-winners. The third-year standout was named a First Team All-Region honoree last year by the National Field Hockey Coaches of America and has also been chosen the GNAC Player of the Week five times during her career.
Powell earns All-Region accolades for the first time in her career after moving to center back early in the season. She was named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Year and was also tabbed First Team All-Conference. She embraced her new role, leading a Sharks' defense that allowed just four goals in six conference matches to tie for the fewest in the GNAC. The senior Captain helped the Simmons defense limit opponents to just 10.2 shots per contest from her center back position, while holding foes to two or fewer goals in 15 of 19 matches. Powell helped the defense post a 1.37 goals against average to stand second among conference teams, while placing 38th in all of NCAA Division III. A graduate of Champlain Valley Union High School, Powell started all 16 matches she appeared in and came up with a big defensive save in the GNAC Championship game at Saint Joseph's College (Maine) on November 5.
Powell started all 72 matches during her four-year career with the Sharks. She was an integral part of the Simmons defense that has ranked among the nation's leaders in goals against average throughout her career. Powell recorded eight points during her career with two goals and four assists. Not only has she excelled on the field, but Powell has also been named to the NFHCA Division III National Academic Squad in each of her first three years of eligibility for the honor.
The Sharks finished the season with an 11-8 overall record, including 5-1 in league play to earn the number two seed in the GNAC Championship Tournament. Simmons ended its season with a 1-0 loss at Saint Joseph's College (Maine) its third straight appearance in the GNAC Championship match on November 5.