Smith earns Offensive Player of the Year honors for the first time from Synapse Sports, while also collecting first team All-America honors for the second-straight year. (PHOTO BY Andrew Katsampes)

Junior also named first team All-American, while Antonellis collects second team honors
Bachelder named to All-Rookie Team

Synapse Sports 2017 All-America Teams & Postseason Awards

EASTON, Mass. (December 5, 2017) – Junior forward Kacie Smith (Norwood, Massachusetts/Norwood) highlights Stonehill College's three honorees by synapsesports.com with Offensive Player of the Year honors for NCAA Division II, the website announced.

Smith, who earns Offensive Player of the Year honors for the first time in her career, was named to the Synapse Sports All-America first team for the second-straight year, marking her third-straight All-America selection by the website. Sophomore back Michaela Antonellis (Watertown, Massachusetts/Watertown) joins Smith with All-America honors, earning second team honors, while freshman back Elaine Bachelder (South Berwick, Maine/Marshwood) was named to the Division II All-Rookie Team.

Smith, the two-time Northeast-10 Conference Player of the Year and All-NE10 first team selection, is the reigning National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) East Region Player of the Year and recently completed a historic offensive season at both the NE10 and NCAA Division II level. She set a new NCAA Division II record with her 41 goals scored this season, leading all three levels of NCAA field hockey in goals and points, finishing the year with an NE10-record 99 points – just three shy of the NCAA Division II mark. Smith also added a Stonehill record 17 assists, leading Division II in that category as well.

Smith	Antonellis
	Bachelder

Smith, who appeared in the "Faces in the Crowd" section of the November 6 issue of Sports Illustrated, scored a goal in 18 of Stonehill's 20 games this season, including a run of 16-staight games at one point. She netted multiple goals in 11 games, including nine hat tricks, posting a string of seven straight multi-goal games during the season that included four-straight hat tricks. Smith scored a career-high four goals three-times, including a 9-0 win over American International College on September 8, in which she also dished a career-high three assists for a career-best 11 points. She also led the NE10 with nine gamewinning goals.

Smith, a consensus first team All-America performer as a sophomore, ranks second in program history with 183 points and 77 goals in 61 career games, while ranking third all-time with 29 career assists. She earned NE10 and Longstreth/NFHCA Division II Offensive Player of the Week accolades three times this season and four times each over her career at Stonehill. Smith collected Synapse Sports Division II All-Rookie honors and NE10 All-Rookie Team status her freshman year.

Antonellis earns All-America honors for the first time in her career with her selection to the Synapse Sports second team. The All-NE10 first team defender enjoyed a breakout year for Stonehill, standing out on the Skyhawks penalty corner offensive and defensive units. Antonellis finished fourth on the team in scoring with 12 points, netting four goals and dishing out four assists – tied for third on the team on the latter, in 20 games. She has also contributed a team-high three defensive saves.

Antonellis enjoyed a breakout game in Stonehill's 5-0 win at Bentley University on September 20, netting the first two goals of her collegiate career and adding her first collegiate assist for a five-point game. The Skyhawks recorded a 2.20 team goals against average this season, with six shutouts. Antonellis has 23 starts in 40 career games played over her two seasons at Stonehill.

Bachelder, who also earned NE10 All-Rookie honors this fall, earns a spot on Synapse Sports Division II All-Rookie Team after anchoring Stonehill's backline, which posted a 2.20 team goals against average, with six shutouts. She played all 20 games, starting 19, as a freshman and chipped in with an assist and a defensive save, marking her first career point in a 9-0 win over American International College on September 8.

Stonehill finished its 2017 season with a 13-7 record overall, including 10-2 in the NE10, earning the program's ninth NCAA Tournament bid after appearing in the NE10 semifinals for the fifth-straight year.

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