Norwood, Massachusetts, sophomore is third straight recipient from Stonehill
Longstreth/NFHCA Division II Regional Player of the Year release
EASTON, Mass. (December 8, 2016) – Stonehill College sophomore All-America forward Kacie Smith (Norwood, Massachusetts/Norwood) has been named the Longstreth/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division II East Region Player of the Year, the organization announced today.
It marks the third straight year a Stonehill student-athlete has earned the honors after two-time recipient and 2015 Longstreth/NFHCA Division II Player of the Year Erika Kelly, '16 collected the award in back to back seasons in 2014 and '15. It's the second Player of the Year accolade for Smith this season, who was named a consensus first team All-American earlier this week, after being voted the Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year by the league's head coaches last month.
Smith, who earned Longstreth/NFHCA and Synapse Sports first team All-America honors for the first time in her career, is a two-time All-NE10 selection with first team honors this fall. She started all 20 games for Stonehill and led the NE10 with her 22 goals and 49 points, ranking second nationally for both, scoring a team-high seven gamewinning goals and dishing out five assists. Smith ranks second in the NE10 for gamewinners and seventh in assists. Her 22 goals scored this season rank fourth on the program's all-time single-season list as one of just three student-athletes to score 20-plus goals in a season in program history. Her 49 points and seven game-winning goals are both the fourth-highest totals program history.
Smith, a Synapse Sports Division II and NE10 All-Rookie Team selection as a freshman when she was also selected as a second team All-American by Synapse Sports, earned Longstreth/NFHCA Division II and NE10 Player of the Week honors once this fall. She netted four hat tricks during the 2016 season, including a career-high four goals in the Skyhawks 4-0 win at 10th-ranked Limestone College on September 10. Smith registered multiple points in seven games, adding three goals each in wins over Adelphi University on September 21 and Southern Connecticut State University on October 14. She also notched a goal and two assists in a 5-2 win over Saint Michael's College on September 17, scoring at least a goal in 13 games.
Smith has started 39 of the 41 games she has played over her first two seasons at Stonehill, totaling 36 goals and 12 assists for 84 points, already ranking sixth in program history for career goals and seventh in points. She participated in USA Field Hockey's Northeast High Performance Training program following an impressive freshman season in which she totaled 14 goals and seven assists for 35 points, including a career-high eight points with three goals and two assists against Southern Connecticut State on October 16, 2015.
Stonehill finished its 2016 season with a 14-6 record overall, including a 9-3 mark in the Northeast-10, in its way to earning the eighth NCAA Tournament bid in program history.
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