Nov. 18, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Following a successful season that saw the squad earn a berth in the NCAA Tournament, the Penn State field hockey team had four players earn All-Mideast Region honors as selected by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association.
Kelsey Amy, Ayla Halus, and Jessica Longstreth all were selected to the first-team All-Region squad, while Brittany Grzywacz garnered second-team nods. Each of the four players also received All-Big Ten honors earlier in the season.
This marks the 20th straight season during which Penn State has had multiple players earn All-Region honors. It is also the 19th time that at least three Lions garnered first-team accolades.
Amy earned first-team honors for the second time in as many years after piecing together an exceptional sophomore season. During the year, she led the team and ranked third in the conference with 19 goals. Her 0.95 goals-per-game average also marked the 11th highest rate in the nation.
During the season, she posted a pair of four-goal performances after performing the feat against Monmouth on October 3 and Northwestern on October 29. Overall, she had five multi-goal efforts. A two-time Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week selection, she was also named to the All-Tournament team after scoring in each of the team's two games.
While Amy was anchoring the offensive attack, Halus was a dominant presence on the defensive end. A first-team All-Big Ten selection, she finished the year ranked first in the nation with an incredible .826 save percentage and was the only player to post at least 100 saves and allow fewer than 30 goals.
During the NCAA Tournament, Halus took her game to a new level with a career-high 18 saves against Syracuse. That performance set a new record for saves by a Lion at the PSU Field Hockey Complex. Overall, she tallied at least 10 saves in four contests and recorded six shutouts, including one against No. 5 Princeton, who finished the year with the second-ranked scoring offense in the country.
Longstreth, who earned first-team All-Region honors for the second time in her career, was a constant force at midfield for Penn State. During her junior season, she led the team and ranked third in the league with 15 assists. Her 0.75 assists-per-game average also stood 12th in the nation.
Equally adept at both scoring and assisting, Longstreth was one of only five players in the country who posted at least 10 goals and 15 assists. During PSU's regular season finale, she recorded a career-high four assists after previously tallying three against Old Dominion on August 27 and Iowa on October 2. She was also a key contributor on the Lions' penalty corner unit and was a perfect 6-for-6 on strokes.
Grzywacz earned second-team accolades after a strong first season in Happy Valley. During her freshman campaign, she was a force on both sides of the ball, recording a team-high three defensive saves while also chipping in with 10 points.
A starter in all 20 games, she was one of only four players in the conference with at least two goals, assists, and defensive saves. She tallied the game-winning goal against West Chester on September 19 and posted a crucial save during the team's shutout victories over Old Dominion on August 27 and Princeton on October 24.
Together, the four standouts helped Penn State post a 14-6 record and earn a No. 10 ranking in the final NFHCA poll of the season. The Nittany Lions eventually advanced to the semifinals of the Big Ten Tournament and competed in their seventh NCAA Tournament in the last 10 seasons.