WINTHROP, Mass. – Simmons College's Julie Saltamartini (East Hampstead, N.H.) has been named the Great Northeast Athletic Conference Field Hockey Player of the Week for the week of October 17-23, it was announced today by the league.
The honor marks the second time that she has earned the award this season, having been named for the week of September 12-18. The junior has been tabbed with the weekly accolade five times in her career.
The forward earns the superlative to cap a historic week. Saltamartini tallied 12 points on five goals and two assists in two matches, recording six points in each match. She began the week by notching her third hat trick of the season in a 5-1 win at New England College on October 19, to give her 105 career points and become just the second player in school history to surpass the century mark for the Sharks. She also tied the career mark for lifetime goals at Simmons with 48 to pull even with Karen Krzywda (1992-95). A graduate of Pinkerton Academy, Saltamartini ended the week by factoring in all four goals of a 4-0 victory over Johnson & Wales University on October 22. She tallied a pair of goals, including her second game-winner of the week and added two assists. The two scores give her 50 for her career and sole possession of the school's career mark.
For the season, the offensive standout has started 15 of 16 matches and racked up a career-high 40 points on 18 goals and four assists to stand second among GNAC leaders in points and goals, while placing 19th in the nation with 1.13 goals per game and 27th with 2.50 points per outing. Her goal and point totals are also the second-most ever in a season for a Shark. The Nursing major has six multi-goal efforts on the year, including each of her last three contests, where she's potted seven goals and added two assists for 16 points. Saltamartini also tied the school standard for goals in a match, earlier in the season, with four in a 7-3 victory over Nichols College on September 8.
Saltamartini has started 41 of 52 matches in her career at Simmons and has amassed 111 points, including 11 assists. She also has 12 career game-winning markers. Saltamartini was named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association/Longstreth New England East Region First Team last year after being named the GNAC Offensive Player of the Year and landing a spot on the GNAC First Team. She burst onto the collegiate field hockey scene as a first year, being named the GNAC Rookie of the Year, while being tabbed First Team All-Conference by the league.
The Sharks are currently 10-6 on the season, including 5-1 in league play to lock up the second seed and a first-round bye in the GNAC Championship tournament. Simmons will take on University of Massachusetts Dartmouth in non-conference action on Tuesday, October 25 at Daly Field in a 7:00 p.m. match to conclude its regular-season slate.