University of Connecticut Athletics
No. 3 Huskies Earn BIG EAST Regular Season Awards
11/7/2019 2:54:00 PM | Field Hockey
NEW YORK – UConn field hockey senior Svea Boker was unanimously named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year while redshirt sophomore Cheyenne Sprecher was tabbed Co-Defensive Player of the Year to headline the Huskies' regular season conference awards.
For the sixth straight season, head coach Nancy Stevens, associate head coach Paul Caddy and assistant coach Cheri Schulz were named the Coaching Staff of the Year. UConn has won 13 Stff of the Year honors.
Boker is Connecticut's 11th BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year since 1997 when Player of the Year was split into positions. Boker was BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week four times this season. She led the conference in points (28) and goals (10) and was second in assists (8) in seven league games played.
Nationally, Boker ranks fourth in the NCAA in points per game with 2.53 and sixth in goals per game with 0.95. She has led the Husky offense that ranks third nationally with 3.53 goals and 10.58 points per game. Boker is a two-team All-BIG EAST First Team honoree. She was also the coaches' selection for BIG EAST Preseason Offensive Player of the Year.
The 2018 BIG EAST Freshman of the Year, Sprecher continued to make waves during her sophomore campaign. At the end of the regular season, Sprecher leads the country in goals against average (0.79) and save percentage (0.845). Sprecher was named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week four times this past season. She also earned national defensive player of the week honors twice by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association.
During BIG EAST play, Sprecher helped the Huskies to another unbeaten season as she went 7-0-0 between the pipes and allowed just five total goals with 2.3 shutouts. She was also an All-BIG EAST First Team honoree in 2018. Sprecher is Connecticut's 15th Defensive Player of the Year. She shares Defensive Player of the Year honors with Liberty's Ashley Dykema.
Boker was named to the All-BIG EAST First Team unanimously, and is joined by Sprecher and freshman Sophie Hamilton. Hamilton is one of just two freshmen on the First Team.
Senior Antonia Tiedtke and sophomore Abby Gooderham were tabbed to the All-BIG EAST Second Team.
The BIG EAST regular season awards and all-conference teams are voted on by the league's eight head coaches, who cannot cast ballots for their own players. The All-BIG EAST first and second teams are voted on by position with four at-large selections.
Top-seeded UConn competes in the BIG EAST Championship semifinals vs. fourth-seeded Providence on Friday at 11 a.m.
2019 BIG EAST Field Hockey Major AwardsÂ
Offensive Player of the Year
Svea Boker, Connecticut, Sr., F ^
Defensive Co-Players of the Year
Cheyenne Sprecher, Connecticut, R-So., GK
Ashley Dykema, Liberty, Jr., B
Freshman of the Year
Daniella Rhodes, Liberty, Fr., F
Coaching Staff of the Year
Connecticut
2019 All-BIG EAST First Team
Cheyenne Sprecher, Connecticut, R-So., GK
Ashley Dykema, Liberty, Jr., B
Corinne Kenney, Providence, Grad., B
Rebecca Birch, Old Dominion, Sr., DM ^
Sophie Hamilton, Connecticut, Fr., M/B
Mary O'Reilly, Providence, Sr., M
Svea Boker, Connecticut, Sr., F ^
Jill Bolton, Liberty, Jr., F
Daniella Rhodes, Liberty, Fr., F
Erin Huffman, Old Dominion, Sr., FÂ Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â
Lydia Sydnor, Villanova, Sr., F
2019 All-BIG EAST Second Team
Camilla MacGillivray, Old Dominion, R-So., GK
Lydia Rice, Providence, Grad., GK
Antonia Tiedtke, Connecticut, Sr., B
Nicole Fredricks, Old Dominion, Fr., B
Marleee McClendon, Old Dominion, R-Jr., B
Dani Batze, Temple, Jr., D
Abby Gooderham, Connecticut, So., M
Bianca Strubbe, Quinnipiac, Grad., M
Michaela Bruno, Georgetown, Sr., F
Charlotte Vaanhold, Liberty, So., F
Izzy Mendez, Providence, Sr., F
^ Denotes unanimous selection
