Nov. 5, 2014
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Penn State field hockey seniors Laura Gebhart (Mount Joy, Pa.) and Taylor Herold ( Fredericksburg, Va.) each earned first team All-Big Ten recognition, the conference announced Wednesday.
Gebhart earned her fourth-straight first team All-Big Ten selection, the only player in program history to do so and just the sixth in Big Ten field hockey history.
This season, she is tied for second on the team with nine goals, tied for first with seven assists and second with 25 points. The nine goals and 25 points are season-highs for the Mount Joy, Pennsylvania native. A team captain, Gebhart has totaled at least one point in nine games this season. She had a career-high six points on a personal-best three goals against Bucknell on Oct. 14. She leads the Nittany Lions with three defensive saves in 2014.
Herold is honored by the Big Ten for the second time in her career, earning second team honors in 2013. The senior leads the Nittany Lions offensively with 17 goals and 41 points. She is tied for the team lead with seven assists. Herold is seventh nationally and second in the Big Ten with 0.94 goals per game. This season, she has posted at least one point in 14 games, including 12 multi-point games and a hat trick against Princeton on Sept. 12.
Penn State's 67 first team All-Big Ten selections since joining the conference in 1992 are 12 more than any other team in that time.
Senior captain Katie Andrews (Lancaster, Pa.) was named Penn State's Sportsmanship Award honoree this season. Andrews has played 70-plus minutes on 17 occasions this season, helping the Nittany Lions hold opponents to just a 1.32 goals against average in 2014. The Sportsmanship Award is granted to a student-athlete who has distinguished themselves through sportsmanship and ethical behavior while also maintaining good academic standing and demonstrating good citizenship outside of the sport.
The Nittany Lions are back in action at the Big Ten Tournament, taking on No. 19 Michigan State in Ann Arbor, Michigan on Thursday, Nov. 6 at 12:30 p.m.
See the full list of honorees below:
2014 All-Big Ten Teams
First Team*
Audra Heilman, Sr., F/M, IND
Natalie Cafone, Jr., F, IOWA
Stephanie Norlander, F/M, So., IOWA
MAXINE FLUHARTY, Sr., M/F, MD
Sarah Sprink, Jr., B, MD
Ainsley McCallister, Sr., M, MICH
Leslie Smith, Sr., B, MICH
Abby Barker, Sr., F, MSU
Maddy Carpenter, GK, Sr., NU
Lisa McCarthy, Jr., M/B, NU
Laura Gebhart, Sr., F/M, PSU
Taylor Herold, Sr., F/M, PSU
Second Team
Sydney Supica, B/M, Jr., IND
Dani Hemeon, M, Sr., IOWA
Brooke Cabrera, GK, Sr., MD
Anna Dessoye, M, Jr., MD
Katie Gerzabek, F, Sr., MD
Lauren Thomas, B, Jr., MICH
Becky Stiles, M, Sr., MSU
Charlotte Martin, M/F, Jr., NU
Peanut Johnson, F, Jr., OSU
Sofia Walia, B, So., RU
Player of the Year: Maxine Fluharty, MD
Offensive Player of the Year: Natalie Cafone, IOWA
Defensive Player of the Year: Sarah Sprink, MD
Freshman of the Year: Moira Putsch, MD
Coach of the Year: Missy Meharg, MD
Sportsmanship Award Honorees
Corinne Karch, IND
Brynn Gitt, IOWA
Alyssa Parker, MD
Jaime Dean, MICH
Becky Stiles, MSU
Kristin Wirtz, NU
Alexis Allen, OSU
Katie Andrews, PSU
Jenn Staab, RU
Unanimous selections in ALL CAPS
*Additional honorees due to ties