Caro Named Ivy League Offensive Player Of The Year; Five Named All-Ivy

PRINCETON, N.J. – The No. 14 Princeton Tigers had five players named to the All-Ivy teams, the conference announced today, including senior Cat Caro as the Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year.

Caro along with freshman Maddie Bacskai and junior Ryan McCarthy were picked to the first team All-Ivy team, sophomore Sophia Tornetta received second team All-Ivy honors while sophomore Elise Wong was honorable mention All-Ivy League.

The fourth Tiger to be named Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year in the last five years, Caro was one of four players to be unanimously picked for the first team. The senior had a stellar season with a career-high 15 goals and 35 points. Caro has registered a point in 13 of the team's 17 games and sits 15th in the country in points per game (2.19). Her standout performances include back-to-back hat tricks vs. Brown (Oct. 15) and Towson (Oct. 16). The two-time captain was sparkling against Ivy opponents, averaging over three points per contest with nine goals and four assists. Caro has been an All-Ivy player each of the past three seasons with two second-team distinctions in 2014 and 2015.

After scoring 12 goals in her first two seasons at Princeton, McCarthy broke through in 2016 with 12 goals and a career-high 29 points. The junior collected points in the team's first four games, completing the season with three multi-goal outings. McCarthy led the team with four game-winning tallies, putting the Tigers on top vs. then-No. 10 Delaware, American, Columbia and Towson. This is the third straight season that she has been picked for the All-Ivy team with an honorable mention in 2014 and second team selection in 2015.

Bacskai and Wong have been a crucial members of the team's defensive unit. The Tigers rank inside the top-20 nationally in goals-against-average (17th, 1.55) and have 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 fabulous 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 two assists while Wong had five helpers this season. The sophomore was All-Ivy first team in 2015.

Tornetta, despite missing seven games because of injuries, posted an outstanding campaign with 22 points in 10 games. Her 2.2 points per game would place her 15th in the nation if she qualified. Tornetta scored a goal in seven outings and secured a point in every game except for one. The sophomore 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). Last season, Tornetta was first team All-Ivy League and the conference's Rookie of the Year.

Other Ivy League winners include Yale's Emili Katz as Defensive Player of the Year, Harvard's Bente van Vlijmen as Rookie of the Year. Tjerk van Herwaarden of Harvard was a unanimous pick for Coach of the Year.

Princeton received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament, the 21st time overall, but first as an at-large. The Tigers will take on No. 5 Penn State on Saturday (11:30 a.m.). It's the ninth straight season that Princeton has made the tournament.

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Players Mentioned

Maddie Bacskai

Cat Caro

Ryan McCarthy

Sophia Tornetta

Elise Wong