EVANSTON, Ill. – Four Northwestern players earned All-Region selections from the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA), the organization announced on Monday.
Redshirt first-year Bente Baekers took home first team honors for the West Region, while sophomore Kayla Blas and seniors Saar de Breij and Kirsten Mansfield were each named to the second team.
This marks the 10th-straight season in which the Wildcats have had multiple NFHCA All-West Region honorees. Their four selections are tied for the second most in the 11 years that Tracey Fuchs has been the head coach, only behind the 2015 season when five NU players were honored.
Baekers led the conference with 28 goals and 59 points. Her 28 goals scored are the most by any first-year in program history and tied for second (Lisa Griswold, 1983) in program history for a single season. The Rijswijk, Netherlands native was also named Big-Ten Freshman of the Year and First Team All-Big Ten.
Blas helped anchor the Wildcats' defense throughout the season. As a unit, the 'Cats' defense held their opponents to one goal or fewer in 10 games this season, including five of their eight conference games. The Pendleton, N.Y. native also contributed nine assists on the year, the second-highest output on the team behind only Mansfield, and earned a Second Team All-Big Ten selection earlier this month.
De Breij scored a total of nine goals this season, second on the team behind Baekers, and finished third in points on the team (19) to cap off an immensely successful career with Northwestern. The Utrecht, Netherlands native finished with 25 career goals scored and 60 career points in her four years with the Wildcats. De Breij was also honored by the Big-Ten conference earlier this season, taking home a Second-Team All-Big Ten selection.
Mansfield was a key offensive player for the Wildcats, recording a Big Ten-leading 17 assists which also ranked second among all players in the nation. With 52 career assists she joined Jennifer Averill (1983-86, 70) and Lisa McCarthy (2012-15, 54) as the third player in program history to record over 50 career assists. Earlier this season, Mansfield was also honored with the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
Northwestern finished the season 14-8 and secured a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in the last three seasons.
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Redshirt first-year Bente Baekers took home first team honors for the West Region, while sophomore Kayla Blas and seniors Saar de Breij and Kirsten Mansfield were each named to the second team.
This marks the 10th-straight season in which the Wildcats have had multiple NFHCA All-West Region honorees. Their four selections are tied for the second most in the 11 years that Tracey Fuchs has been the head coach, only behind the 2015 season when five NU players were honored.
Baekers led the conference with 28 goals and 59 points. Her 28 goals scored are the most by any first-year in program history and tied for second (Lisa Griswold, 1983) in program history for a single season. The Rijswijk, Netherlands native was also named Big-Ten Freshman of the Year and First Team All-Big Ten.
Blas helped anchor the Wildcats' defense throughout the season. As a unit, the 'Cats' defense held their opponents to one goal or fewer in 10 games this season, including five of their eight conference games. The Pendleton, N.Y. native also contributed nine assists on the year, the second-highest output on the team behind only Mansfield, and earned a Second Team All-Big Ten selection earlier this month.
De Breij scored a total of nine goals this season, second on the team behind Baekers, and finished third in points on the team (19) to cap off an immensely successful career with Northwestern. The Utrecht, Netherlands native finished with 25 career goals scored and 60 career points in her four years with the Wildcats. De Breij was also honored by the Big-Ten conference earlier this season, taking home a Second-Team All-Big Ten selection.
Mansfield was a key offensive player for the Wildcats, recording a Big Ten-leading 17 assists which also ranked second among all players in the nation. With 52 career assists she joined Jennifer Averill (1983-86, 70) and Lisa McCarthy (2012-15, 54) as the third player in program history to record over 50 career assists. Earlier this season, Mansfield was also honored with the Big Ten Sportsmanship Award.
Northwestern finished the season 14-8 and secured a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the second time in the last three seasons.
••••••
Be the first to know what's going on with the 'Cats -- Follow @NU_Sports on Twitter, become a fan of Northwestern Athletics on Facebook, check us out on Instagram, visit our Social Media page and download our mobile app from the Apple Store and Google Play! To get involved with the #B1GCats, become a season-ticket holder or join the Wildcat Fund!