Nov. 7, 2013
EVANSTON, Ill. - Northwestern placed three individuals on the field hockey All-Big Ten teams while Tracey Fuchs was recognized as the conference's Coach of the Year it was announced Thursday.
The Wildcats placed two individuals on the first team as senior Nikki Parsley earned the distinction for the third consecutive season while classmate Tara Puffenberger received the honor for the second straight year. Sophomore Lisa McCarthy picked up second-team recognition for the second time in as many seasons as a Wildcat.
Parsley ranked third in the league during the regular season with 13 goals and fourth with 28 points. The Milford, Del., native had a pair of multi-goal games: at Kent State (Oct. 6) and at Indiana (Oct. 18).
A native of Dallas, Pa., Puffenberger notched seven goals to rank second on the team while also ranking third with six assists for 20 points. She posted two goals in a Senior Day win over Ohio State (Nov. 1) and ranks tied for second in the conference with 74 shots.
McCarthy anchors a back line of defense that ranks among the nation's best. Northwestern entered play this week ranked fifth in the nation with a 1.04 goals-against average. Offensively, she leads the team with eight assists after leading the league in the category a year ago.
Fuchs led Northwestern to a share of its first Big Ten regular-season title since 1994 to help her earn her accolade. The Wildcats tied Penn State with a 5-1 conference mark and have reached as high as No. 10 in the Penn Monto/NFHCA Coaches Poll this season. The honor is the first of her career.
Additionally, sophomore Kelley Stump (Allentown, Pa.) was named the team's recipient of the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award. The student-athletes chosen for the honor are individuals who have distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior. These student-athletes must also be in good academic standing and have demonstrated good citizenship outside of the sports-competition setting.
2013 All-Big Ten Teams
First Team
Audra Heilman, Jr., F/M, IND
Natalie Cafone, So., F, IOWA
Dani Hemeon, Jr., M, IOWA
RACHAEL MACK, Sr., F, MICH
Ainsley McCallister, Jr., M, MICH
Abby Barker, Jr., F, MSU
Nikki Parsley, Sr., F/M, NU
Tara Puffenberger, Sr., M, NU
Laura Gebhart, Jr., F/M, PSU
BRITTANY GRZYWACZ, Sr., M/B, PSU
Kylie Licata, Jr., GK, PSU
Second Team*
Hannah Boyer, Sr., B, IND
Sydney Supica, So., B/M, IND
Karli Johansen, Sr., B, IOWA
Lauren Thomas, So., B, MICH
Molly Cassidy, Sr., GK, MSU
Kristen Henn, Sr., M, MSU
Becky Stiles, Jr., M/B, MSU
Lisa McCarthy, So., M/B, NU
Mona Frommhold, Sr., M, OSU
Peanut Johnson, So., F, OSU
Taylor Herold, Jr., F/M, PSU
Ashtin Klingler, Sr., F, PSU
Player of the Year: Rachael Mack, MICH
Offensive Player of the Year: RACHAEL MACK, MICH
Defensive Player of the Year: BRITTANY GRZYWACZ, PSU
Freshman of the Year: Stephanie Norlander, IOWA
Coach of the Year: Tracey Fuchs, NU
Sportsmanship Award Honorees
Emily Bowker, IND
Dani Hemeon, IOWA
Haley Jones, MICH
Katherine Jamieson, MSU
Kelley Stump, NU
Kaitlyn Wagner, OSU
Abby Fuhrman, PSU
Unanimous selections in ALL CAPS
*Additional honorees due to ties
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