Kerri Sullivan has been named to the Northeast-10 All-Conference First-Team for the second straight season.

Sullivan Named First-Team; Four Others Collect All-Conference Nod

Lowell, Mass. - Five Stonehill field hockey players - led by first-team honoree Kerri Sullivan (Goffstown, N.H.) were named Northeast-10 Conference All-Stars it was announced by at the Conference's annual banquet on Friday night prior to the Conference tournament's semifinal games.

Juniors Claire Hourihan (East Amherst, N.Y.), Jackie Ladino (North Dartmouth, Mass.) and sophomore Lauren Gifford (Goffstown, N.H.) were all named second team, while freshman Kathryn Nelson (Shrewsbury, Mass.) earned a spot on the All-Rookie Team.

"To have five athletes recognized for their efforts this year is great," said head coach Shelly Morris. "I feel it is fitting for Kerri to be selected to the first-team her senior year. She has been a dominate force in this league since her freshman year."

Sullivan has had a banner career in the purple and white, and her senior campaign has been no different. She has career-highs in points (23) and assists (11) and has 69 career points (22 goals, 25 assists) entering the weekend. A first-team selection a season ago, Sullivan was also a first-team All-America in 2007 as well.

Hourihan shattered school records en route to her breakout season. She set marks for goals (20) and points (48) in a season and after scoring just one goal in the first four games she netted 19 in the final 16 matchups. During her record-setting season, she had six games of two goals or more including a three-goal performance in a win over American International.

Ladino, meanwhile, turned up her offensive performance this season, scoring a career-high 12 goals and registering 33 points. Through her first three seasons she has 29 assists, good for second on the school's all-time list. During a three-game stretch late in the season she posted 13 points and had six goals on her way to Northeast-10 Player of the Week honors.

Gifford, just a sophomore, started all 20 games and helped serve as the backbone to a Skyhawk defense that had five shutouts and a 1.23 goals against average.

Nelson, had a strong inaugural campaign for the Skyhawks, collecting three goals and a Northeast-10 Freshman of the Week award along the way. She appeared in 16 games and had goals in back-to-back games during Stonehill's first six game winning streak.

At 13-7 overall, the Skyhawks will face the Northeast-10's No. 1 seed, UMass-Lowell on Saturday at 12 p.m. in the Conference Tournament Semifinals