Princeton University Athletics
Players Mentioned
Princeton Claims Three Major Ivy Awards; Places Seven on All-League Teams
November 09, 2015 | Field Hockey
PRINCETON, N.J. – Claiming three of the league's four major awards, the Princeton University field hockey team placed seven student-athletes on the 2015 All-Ivy squad.
Named the conference's Offensive Player of the Year, Maddie Copeland was a unanimous selection to the All-Ivy first team. Taking home Rookie of the Year honors, Sophia Tornetta joined Copeland on the first team, alongside fellow freshman Elise Wong.
Copeland is the third Tiger to be tabbed the Offensive Player of the Year since the award's induction in 2011, joining Kathleen Sharkey (2012) and Michelle Cesan (2013). Wong and Tornetta's selection to the first team marked the first time one Ivy program put a pair of freshmen on its top all-conference squad since 2009, when Princeton's Cesan and Julia Reinprecht were honored.
Netting the game winning overtime goal against Penn in the season finale, Ryan McCarthy garnered recognition on the All-Ivy second team. Teresa Benvenuti and Cat Caro joined McCarthy on the second team, while Anya Gersoff picked up honorable mention accolades. Leading the Tigers to their 21st conference crown in 22 years, Kristen Holmes-Winn was named the Ivy League's Coach of the Year.
Piecing together a stellar senior season, Copeland has racked up 34 points on 16 goals and two assists. Currently ranked fifth in the country in goals per game (1.00) and seventh in points per outing (2.13), Copeland has scored in nine of her appearances this season. A three-time Ivy Player of the Week, Copeland posted a pair of hat-tricks against American (Sept. 20) and Dartmouth (Sept. 27) and has found the back of the opposing net in each of her last four games.
Earning a pair of Rookie of the Week laurels this season, Tornetta ranks second on the team in scoring with 19 points on five goals and nine assists. Netting her first career point with a goal against North Carolina in the team's season opener, Tornetta recorded a point in each of her first five collegiate games and has factored into the scoring in 10 of the team's contests. Scoring a career-high two goals against Dartmouth (Sept. 27), she had two assists against Harvard (Oct. 24) and dished out a helper in each of the team's final two Ivy wins over Cornell (Oct. 31) and Penn (Nov. 7).
Quickly becoming a staple in the Tigers' lineup, Wong has helped anchor the squad's defensive efforts. Posting three shutouts, Princeton's defense has been especially stingy against Ivy opponents, surrendering just 1.4 goals per game. In a 4-0 victory over Yale, Wong and the Tiger backline did not surrender a shot, becoming the first squad to accomplish the feat in Holmes-Winn's 13-year tenure. Recording her first career points with a pair of assists against Virginia, Wong sits third on the team in helpers with six.
Following up a solid rookie season with an equally impressive sophomore campaign, McCarthy sits third on the team in scoring with 18 points on seven goals and four assists. An honorable mention selection last year, McCarthy has factored into the team's scoring in nine games. Dishing out a pair of assists against Dartmouth on Sept 27, McCarthy netted two goals against Yale on Oct. 3. Recording a point in four of her last five outings, McCarthy scored a goal in the Tigers' final two Ivy wins over Cornell and Penn.
Picking up the third All-Ivy honor of her career, Benvenuti is fifth in the conference and 14th in the nation with 11 assists. Factoring into the scoring in eight games, Benvenuti matched a single-game program record with four assists against Dartmouth on Sept. 27. Dishing out a pair of helpers in an overtime win over Columbia (Oct. 9), Benvenuti has three assists in her last two outings against Cornell and Penn.
The team's lone captain, Caro has 12 points on four goals and four assists. Getting off to a fast start, Caro collected seven points in her first four games on three goals and an assist. Also scoring a goal against Dartmouth (Sept. 27), Caro has recorded an assist in wins against Columbia (Oct. 9), Brown (Oct. 17) and Cornell (Oct. 31).
Starting all 16 of Princeton's games this season, Gersoff has logged 1139:04 minutes, posting a 0.681 save percentage and 2.21 goals-against-average. Making a career-high 14 saves in the season opener against North Carolina, Gersoff matched her personal-best with 14 stops against Virginia. Making 11 saves against Maryland on Sept. 22, Gersoff helped the Tigers to shutout wins over Yale, Penn State and Cornell.
In the midst of her 13th year on the Princeton sidelines, Holmes-Winn helped guide the Orange and Black to their 14th, 7-0 Ivy season since the seven-game format debuted in 1997. Securing its fourth consecutive outright Ivy title (24th overall), Princeton earned an NCAA Tournament berth for the 11th-straight year. Under Holmes-Winn, the Tigers have posted a 163-79 overall record with an 86-5 Ivy mark.