Nov. 1, 2007

2007 Field Hockey All-Conference Teams

PHILADELPHIA, Pa. - Temple seniors Alli Lokey and Ashley Bird have been named the 2007 Atlantic 10 Field Hockey Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year, respectively, in voting conducted among the Conference's head coaches.

In that same vote, Jen Wrublesky of Saint Joseph's was tabbed Rookie of the Year and Massachusetts' Justine Sowry was named Coach of the Year. For the second straight year, Saint Joseph's senior Rebecca Cunfer was named Student-Athlete of the Year in voting by the Conference's sports information directors.

Lokey enters the 2007 Atlantic 10 Championship with 18 goals, 10 assists and 46 total points on the season. She leads the Conference in eight offensive categories and ranks tied for first nationally in goals, second in overall points, third in points per game (2.30) and fourth in goals per game (0.90). A native of Bainbridge, Pa., the senior forward was a four-time A-10 Player of the Week selection, highlighted by a nine-point, four-goal performance against Rhode Island on Oct. 14. Lokey is the program's first student-athlete to garner Offensive Player of the Year honors since the award's inception in 2000.

Bird started every game for the Owls and netted three goals and tallied two assists for eight points. She played both corner units and provided the game-winning goal in a 3-2 victory against Lock Haven on Sept. 2. In addition, the senior sweeper from Harrisburg, Pa., was an NFHCA Senior All-Star Game participant. With Bird anchoring a defense that allowed one goal or less in 12 of its 20 matches, Temple earned a share of its first-ever A-10 regular season title and the top seed in this week's A-10 Championship.

Joining Lokey and Bird on the All-Conference first-team is Temple teammate Dannah Brehm; Sarah Blythe-Wood of Richmond; Sarah Conrad of West Chester; Kristina DoRosario, Cher King and Erin O'Brien of Massachusetts; La Salle's Kara Harpel; Jen Wrublesky of Saint Joseph's; and goalkeeper Amy Wasserman of Saint Louis.

The All-Conference second-team is comprised of Erin Arthur and Alex Malatesta of Richmond; Shelly Brooks of West Chester; Jen Cetenich and Jill Powers of Rhode Island; La Salle's Colleen Lechner; Marisa Pizzi, Anne Schreuders, Katie Young and goalkeeper Rebecca Cunfer of Saint Joseph's; and Temple's Leanne Vogelsong.

Wrublesky provided an immediate impact in her rookie season at Saint Joseph's. The forward from Langhorne, Pa., led the Hawks in scoring with 22 points and her nine goals tied for the league-lead among A-10 freshmen. She was named the A-10 Rookie of the Week three times during the 2007 season and recorded multiple goals twice, including a pair of game-winning tallies. Wrublesky enters the 2007 A-10 Championship having scored five goals in her last four games.

Wrublesky is joined on the All-Rookie team by Saint Joseph's teammate Casey Fry; Jaime Bourazeris and Mikaela Potts of Massachusetts; Beth Carey, Rachel Deaner and Adriana Lalli of La Salle; Kelsey Shultz of Saint Louis; West Chester's Alex Swayze; Michelle Weaver of Richmond; and Alex Weber of Saint Louis.

Cunfer earns the A-10 Field Hockey Student-Athlete of the Year Award for the second straight year. She ranks second in program history with 17 career shutouts, and her four shutouts this season are tied for second in the Conference. The Manheim, Pa., resident ranks ninth in the nation in save percentage (.796) and tenth in goals against average (1.19). An international relations/political science major and former A-10 Rookie of the Year, Cunfer was also named to the A-10 Academic All-Conference Team in 2006 and 2007.

Along with Cunfer, the Academic All-Conference field hockey team consists of teammate Krista Bordogna; La Salle's Maria Allegretto, Ellen Axelsen and Kara Harpel; Ashley Bird and Charise Young of Temple; Catherine Donovan and Amy Wasserman of Saint Louis; and Rhode Island's Jeannie Records.

Sowry, in her first season at Massachusetts, receives the Coach of the Year honor after leading UMass to the No. 2 seed in the Atlantic 10 Championship with a 6-1 league ledger. Her squad claimed a share of the league's regular season crown, the program's first since 2001, and the Minutewomen's 11 overall wins are their most since 2001. Sowry graduated from the University of South Australia in 1991 while majoring in physical education and mathematics.