CHANDLER, Ariz. – The Simmons College field hockey team landed 19 student-athletes on the Zag Field Hockey/National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division III National Academic Squad, it was announced today by the NFHCA.
The squad is comprised of 1,604 student-athletes from 148 schools in NCAA III.
The Zag Field Hockey/NFHCA Division III National Academic Squad includes all student-athletes with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.30 or greater through the first semester of the 2016-17 academic year.
Only three other programs in the nation boasted more (Messiah College, Salisbury University and Mount Holyoke College – all with 20) than the Sharks' total of 19 student-athletes on the squad. Simmons counts 15 among its student-athletes, who have compiled a career GPA of 3.5 or better and one student-athlete who has maintained a perfect 4.0 throughout her tenure with the Sharks.
The following student-athletes from Simmons earned a spot on the squad for the first time: First years Lindsey Chase (Melrose, Mass.), Amanda Matos (Westport, Mass.), Meg Pereira (New Bedford, Mass.), Krystianna Pietrzak (Bennington, Vt.), Hannah Scott (Claremont, N.H.), Audrey Simmons (Fairhaven, Mass.), Olivia Trull (Lowell, Mass.) and sophomores Adrianna Fournier (Newport, Vt.), Missie Maiewski (Northampton, Mass.) and Meghan Fontaine (Westminster, Mass.). Second-timers included sophomore Ana Giarrusso (Hingham, Mass.) and junior Eryn Melanson (Townsend, Mass.). Juniors Sammy Rondeau (Franklin, Mass.), Kiera Kirkaldy (Middlebury, Vt.), Julie Kellndorfer (Amherst, N.H.) and seniors Hailey Bruno-Moulton (South Berwick, Maine) and Mary Neidhardt (Middlefield, Conn.) were all tabbed for the third straight year, while seniors Jillian Mercer (Dartmouth, Mass.) and Robin Powell (Richmond, Vt.) joined a select group that earned the nod for the fourth year in a row.
In addition, the Sharks were recognized for the 2016 Zag Field Hockey/NFHCA Collegiate National Academic Team Award for the 15th consecutive year after posting a team GPA of 3.63.
Simmons 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. The Sharks ended their season with a 1-0 loss at Saint Joseph's College (Maine) its third straight appearance in the GNAC Championship match on November 5.