Princeton Honored With Five Players On All-Region Teams

PRINCETON, N.J. – Fresh off an NCAA Final Four run, the Princeton Tigers had five members selected to the National Field Hockey Coaches' Association (NFHCA) Mid-Atlantic All-Region teams today.

Senior captain Cat Caro and junior Ryan McCarthy were picked for the all-region first team while freshman Maddie Bacskai, sophomores Sophia Tornetta and Elise Wong were honored with second team accolades.

Named the Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year, Caro had a sparkling end to her Princeton career with a personal-high 18 goals and 47 points. She registered a point in 15 of the team's 19 games and finished the season eighth in the country in goals (.95) and 13th in points per game (2.26). Her standout performances include back-to-back hat tricks vs. Brown (Oct. 15) and Towson (Oct. 16). The two-time captain was fabulous against Ivy opponents, averaging over three points per contest with nine goals and four assists. This is her second straight first team Mid-Atlantic Region award.

McCarthy had a breakout campaign in 2016 with a career-high 14 goals and 33 points. In her two seasons prior, the junior had 12 goals combined. McCarthy collected points in the team's first four games and three of its last four contests while completing the season with three multi-goal outings. She led the team with five game-winning tallies, putting the Tigers on top vs. then-No. 10 Delaware, American, Columbia, Towson and No. 5 Penn State in the first round of the NCAA Tournament.

Bacskai and Wong were vital cogs for Princeton's defensive unit. The Tigers rank inside the top-20 nationally in goals-against-average (17th, 1.61) and posted four shutouts this season. In Princeton's 8-0 victory over Towson, the backline did not allow a shot, marking the second time in back-to-back years that the team accomplished that feat. Princeton's defense was fantastic in Ivy League play, allowing just 3.9 shots per game and eight goals total. The Tigers had three shutouts in the Ivy League. Bacskai added two goals and three assists while Wong had seven helpers this season. Wong was first team all-region in 2015.

A sign of respect among coaches across field hockey, Tornetta was voted second team all-region despite missing seven games. Her 2016 season wrapped up with nine goals and 10 assists in 13 contests. Tornetta's 2.15 points per game would be 18th in the country if she qualified. The sophomore scored a goal in eight outings and secured a point in every game except for two. The striker tied her career high with two goals and set a new benchmark with five points vs. then-No. 12 Albany (Sept. 9). She also had a new personal record with three helpers vs. Penn (Nov. 5). Those new career bests are great, but none of them were as important as this goal…

Tornetta scores with no time remaining! Unbelievable! The @TigerFH is going to the Final Four! #GoTigers #TigerUp #sctop10 @ESPNAssignDesk pic.twitter.com/GSkqCmaj7i
— Princeton Tigers (@PUTIGERS) November 13, 2016

Princeton was one of 16 schools to have at least four nominations to the all-region teams. The Longstreth/NFHCA Division I Regional Players of the Year will be announced on Thursday, with the All-America squad coming out on Dec. 7 and the National Player of the Year on Dec. 14.

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Players Mentioned

Maddie Bacskai

Cat Caro

Ryan McCarthy

Sophia Tornetta

Elise Wong