Salisbury sophomore defender Tara McGovern was selected as the 2009 Capital Athletic Conference Field Hockey Player of the Year and joined Dawn Chamberlin, who captured her 13th Coach of the Year award, in leading seven members of the conference-champion Sea Gulls onto the 2009 All-CAC Field Hockey team.

St. Mary’s forward Lauriann Parker, who set the team record for most points in a season and tied the mark for most goals in a season, was selected as the CAC Rookie of the Year.

McGovern’s Player of the Year award marks the eighth-straight year a Salisbury player earned that award and the 13th time in the last 14 years. She helped Chamberlin lead the Gulls to their 15th-straight conference championship and 16th-straight NCAA Tournament berth.

Teammates joining McGovern on the All-CAC first team include senior forwards Beverly Beladino, Lauren Correll and senior midfielder Michelle Rowe. Beladino, Correll and Rowe are all three-time CAC all-stars. Sophomores Caitlin Walker and Katie Fost are second-team All-CAC players this year, giving the Sea Gulls a CAC-best six players on the 2009 all-star team. Fost earned second-team recognition for the second-straight year.

Mary Washington and York, which tied for second in the regular-season standings, each had five players named to the 2009 All-CAC team.

Senior back Jaci Marshall (Annapolis, Md., Annapolis) picked up her fourth-straight All-CAC nod to lead the UMW contingent. Marshall earned first-team recognition for the third time in her career and was joined on the top squad by junior two-time all-stars Emma Jones (Yorktown, Va., York) and Heidi Sheehan (Scituate, Mass., Scituate). Gaining All-CAC status for the first time were freshman midfielder Florence George (Virginia Beach, Va., Princess Anne) and junior back Nicole Conti (Virginia Beach, Va., Bayside).

York’s defense earned two first-team All-CAC nods for senior back Veronica Eltz and junior goalie Claire Rekitzke. Eltz was a second-team all-star in 2008 while Rekitzke picked up second-team honors in each of the past two seasons. Three Spartan forwards, including senior Megan Spangler and juniors Katie Dawkins and Allison Roush, were selected as second-team all-stars. Spangler is a repeat pick from 2008.

Wesley, which was selected to compete in the 2009 ECAC South Championship Tournament, placed four players on the All-CAC squad. Junior forward Brooke Tadlock earned her second-straight first-team nod while senior back Amanda Fisher moved up to the first team after being named to the second team in 2008. Freshman midfielder Abigail Hill and junior goalie Sarah Johnson both earned post-season recognition for the first time as second-team all-stars.

Parker, the first St. Mary’s player to win Rookie of the Year award since its inception in 1997, was one of three Seahawks to gain post-season accolades. Junior Allie Skiest was picked to the All-CAC team as a first-team midfielder while senior Julia Puzak was picked as a second-team back. Both Skiest and Puzak are on the All-CAC team for the second-straight year.

Stevenson also earned two second-team nods on the All-CAC field hockey team. Junior back Natalie DiPaolo was recognized by the coaches for the first time in her career while sophomore goalie Kara Zimmerman is a two-time All-CAC honoree.



2009 All-CAC Field Hockey Team

First Team Yr. Pos. Team Hometown/High School Previous All-CAC Honors
Beverly Beladino Sr. For Salisbury Putnam Valley, N.Y./Putnam Valley 2nd in ‘08, 1st in ‘07
Lauren Correll Sr. For Salisbury Bridgeville, Del./Sussex Tech 1st in ‘08, 1st in ‘07
Emma Jones Jr. For Mary Washington Yorktown, Va./York 2nd in ‘08
Brooke Tadlock Jr. For Wesley Middletown, Del./Middletown 1st in ‘08
Michelle Rowe Sr. Mid Salisbury Elkton, Md./Elkton 2nd in ‘08, 1st in ‘07
Heidi Sheehan Jr. Mid Mary Washington Scituate, Mass./Scituate 1st in ‘08
Allie Skiest Jr. Mid St. Mary’s Arnold, Md./The Seton Keough Sch. 2nd in ‘08
Veronica Eltz Sr. Back York Hanover, Pa./Delone Catholic 2nd in ‘08
Amanda Fisher Sr. Back Wesley Felton, Del./Lake Forest 2nd in ‘08
Jaci Marshall Sr. Back Mary Washington Annapolis, Md./Annapolis 1st in ‘08, 2nd in ‘07, 1st in ‘06
Tara McGovern So. Back Salisbury Yorktown Heights, N.Y./Lakeland 1st & ROY in ‘08
Claire Rekitzke Jr. GK York Seaford, Del./Seaford 2nd in ‘08, 2nd in ‘07

Second Team Yr. Pos. Team Hometown/High School Previous All-CAC Honors
Katie Dawkins Jr. For York Easton, Md./Easton
Allison Roush Jr. For York Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township
Megan Spangler Sr. For York Myerstown, Pa./ELCO 2nd in ‘08
Caitlin Walker So. For Salisbury Fallston, Md./Fallston
Katie Fost So. Mid Salisbury Lusby, Md./Patuxent 2nd in ‘08
Florence George Fr. Mid Mary Washington Virginia Beach, Va./Princess Anne
Abigail Hill Fr. Mid Wesley Dover, Del./Lake Forest
Nicole Conti Jr. Back Mary Washington Virginia Beach, Va./Bayside
Julia Puzak Sr. Back St. Mary’s Arnold, Md./Broadneck 1st in ‘08
Natalie DiPaolo Jr. Back Stevenson Baltimore, Md./Perry Hall
Kara Zimmerman So. GK Stevenson Odenton, Md./Arundel 1st in ‘08
Sarah Johnson Jr. GK Wesley Honeybrook, Pa./Twin Valley


2009 CAC Player of the Year: Tara McGovern, Salisbury
2009 CAC Rookie of the Year: Lauriann Parker, St. Mary’s
2009 CAC Coach of the Year: Dawn Chamberlin, Salisbury (13th time, also from 1995-2005, 2008)