COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. – The National Field Hockey Coach’s Association (NFHCA) announced on Wednesday morning that Penn State’s Aby Deverka was named the NFHCA Defensive Player of the Week.
ᴛʜᴇ ɴᴀᴛɪᴏɴᴀʟ ᴅᴇꜰᴇɴꜱɪᴠᴇ ᴘʟᴀʏᴇʀ ᴏꜰ ᴛʜᴇ ᴡᴇᴇᴋ
— Penn State Field Hockey (@PennStateFH) September 9, 2026
and the first in program history 😤#GameOn | #PSUFH pic.twitter.com/OJ3BLILq40
Deverka’s accolade comes hot off the heels of her first Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honor and is her first time earning a national player of the week award. She is the first Penn State player to earn a NFHCA weekly accolade since US Olympian Phia Gladieux was named NFHCA Offensive Player of the Week in late October of 2023. Deverka is the first Nittany Lion ever to earn the NFHCA Defensive Player of the Week distinction.
The junior goalkeeper has had an extremely effective start to her 2026 campaign. In her four games in the cage, Deverka has registered a pair of clean sheets while registering a Big Ten-leading 19 saves. Against the Wildcats, she secured a clean sheet with four saves on four shots on goal against Villanova while facing three penalty corners. While facing the Delaware, Deverka recorded a season-high nine saves against 10 shots on goal against the Blue Hens with five penalty corners headed in her direction.
The Nittany Lions continue the team’s six-game home stretch to start the 2026 season by hosting the Princeton Tigers on Sunday, September 13 at 12 p.m. Fans can stream the contest on B1G+ and can attend all games played at the Penn State Field Hockey Complex at no cost.
Visit GoPSUSports.com for the up-to-date information on Penn State Field Hockey. Fans can follow Penn State Field Hockey social media on Facebook at /pennstatefieldhockey as well as Twitter and Instagram @PennStateFH.