Simmons' Saltamartini Again Named GNAC Field Hockey Player of the Year

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Junior voted Offensive Player of
the Year for second straight season

WINTHROP, Mass. – For the second straight season, Simmons College junior Julie Saltamartini has been named the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Field Hockey Offensive Player of the Year, as voted upon by the league’s coaches.

After helping the Sharks claim back-to-back GNAC crowns in 2014 and 2015, Saltamartini led the Sharks again to the league title game, falling 1-0 to Saint Joseph’s College of Maine. The junior tallied 20 goals and five assists this season for 45 points, good for second among league leaders.

Simmons senior defender Robin Powell was named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Year after starting 16 games for the Sharks, who allowed just four goals in their six GNAC contests.

The GNAC champion Monks placed seven student-athletes on the First Team, including two major award winners, as sophomore goalkeeper Megan Baker was named the GNAC Goalkeeper of the Year and freshman forward Libby Pomerleau was selected as the GNAC Rookie of the Year. Entering NCAA Tournament play, where the Monks will take on Montclair State, Baker leads the league with a 0.97 goals-against average and Pomerleau has registered 40 points on 15 goals and 10 assists.

Saint Joseph’s of Maine head coach Rupert Lewis was voted the GNAC Coach of the Year by his peers after guiding the Monks to the GNAC regular-season and tournament title.

For the complete list of All-Conference selections, please see below.

Joining Baker and Pomerleau on the First Team from Saint Joseph’s of Maine were senior forward Kelsey Dumond, rookie midfielder Maddy Beaulieu, junior midfielder Elyse Caiazzo, sophomore defender Arianna Kahler and junior defender Hayley Winslow. Dumond has nine goals and seven helpers for 25 points and Caiazzo has five goals and four assists for 14 points.

Anna Maria College placed two players on the First Team in senior forward Kaitlyn Moran and junior midfielder Jacqueline Lapierre. Among GNAC category leaders, Moran is first in goals (24) and points (57) and third in assists (9), while Lapierre had eight points on the season.

Founded in 1995, the Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 12 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Each year, the GNAC sponsors and administers 17 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunities and community involvement. 

First Team
F – Kaitlyn Moran, Anna Maria (Sr., Leicester, Mass.)
F – Kelsey Dumond, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Sr., Lewiston, Maine)
F – Libby Pomerleau, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Fr., Limerick, Maine)
F – Julie Saltamartini, Simmons (Jr., East Hampstead, N.H.)
M – Jacqueline Lapierre, Anna Maria (Jr., Worcester, Mass.)
M – Maddy Beaulieu, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Fr., Gardiner, Maine)
M – Elyse Caiazzo, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Jr., Scarborough, Maine)
B – Arianna Kahler, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (So., Lisbon, Maine)
B – Hayley Winslow, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (Jr., Falmouth, Maine)
B – Robin Powell, Simmons (Sr., Richmond, Vt.)
GK – Megan Baker, Saint Joseph's (Me.) (So., Gorham, Maine)

Second Team
F – Cailin Flannery, Lasell (So., Medford, N.J.)
F – Samantha Taylor, Lasell (Fr., Hanover, Mass.)
F – Sarah Hemstock, Mount Ida (So., Northford, Conn.)
F – Sammy Rondeau, Simmons (Jr., Franklin, Mass.)
M – Julia Franzik, Lasell (So., Wallingford, Conn.)
M – Lexi Minicucci, Mount Ida (Jr., Westfield, Mass.)
M – Ana Giarrusso, Simmons (So., Hingham, Mass.)
B – Emily Standring, Anna Maria (Sr., Worcester. Mass.)
B – Taylor Falco, Lasell (Jr., Hazlet, N.J.)
B – Jessica Kocur, Johnson & Wales (RI) (Jr., Mattapoisett, Mass.)
GK – Brianna Rastello, Simmons (Sr., Salem, N.H.)

Offensive Player of the Year – Julie Saltamartini, Simmons
Defensive Player of the Year – Robin Powell, Simmons
Rookie of the Year – Libby Pomerleau, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
Goalkeeper of the Year – Megan Baker, Saint Joseph's (Me.)
Coach of the Year – Rupert Lewis, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
Institutional Sportsmanship Award – Rivier University

All-Sportsmanship Team
Ashley George, Anna Maria (Sr., Leicester, Mass.)
Amy Martin, Johnson & Wales (Sr., Enfield, Conn.)
Courtney Braman, Lasell (Sr., Gardner , Mass.)
Emily McConnell, Mount Ida (Jr., Lowell, Mass.)
Chelsie Hubicsak-Muldowney, Rivier (Sr., Windham, N.H.)
Amy Wilson, Simmons (Sr., Falmouth , Mass.)
Kayla Veilleux, Saint Joseph's (ME) (So., Sabattus, Maine)

– #TheGNAC –