Smisdom Named Midfielder of the Year, #19 Field Hockey Draws Nine Selections

BOSTON - The University at Albany field hockey team earned 10 America East end-of-season awards, led by junior Alison Smisdom’s second straight Midfielder of the Year honor, the conference announced Wednesday.

Following the previous three seasons’ formats, the conference continued with one division for the 2023 season, with all teams represented on the same all-conference list. Overall, each of the top three teams shared 10 total selections. With just one major award, UAlbany led the conference with nine team honorees. New Hampshire and UAlbany tied with four all-conference award winners.

For the full list of this year’s honorees, click here.

Smisdom tallied three awards being named the America East Midfielder of the Year as well as being placed on the All-Conference First Team and the All-Academic team. Juniors Floor de Ruiter and Lara Behn followed with two selections each - All-Conference and All-Academic. de Ruiter landed a First Team placement while Behn was named to the Second Team. Junior Blanca Orsola tabbed her first all-conference honor with a Second Team nod. Mara Küskes and Axelle Werbrouck were named to the All-Rookie Team.

For the second year in a row, Alison Smisdom was named Midfielder of the Year, First Team All-Conference, and All-Academic. First in the conference in points per game (2.41) and tied for first in goals per game (1.0), she currently ranks sixth in the nation with both numbers. Her prowess on both offense and defense (tied for second in AE with three defensive saves), led to her Midfielder of the Year honor for the second-straight season. An Edegem, Belgium native, she notched 13 multi-point and five multi-goal games to become the eighth Great Dane to earn three First Team All-Conference honors in their career and just the second to do it in the first three years of action. 

Joining Smisdom on the America East’s All-Conference First Team was junior Floor de Ruiter. Seeing the field for all games possible, de Ruiter was a force to be reckoned with in the midfield. Consistently working to take and keep possession of the ball, the midfielder led to several goals as she made her way up the field to send the ball into the circle. Able to finish a few times for herself, the Noordwick, Holland native tallied four goals, including the go-ahead goal in a 3-1 win over New Hampshire, and five assists. de Ruiter joins a team of 15 additional Great Danes in being named First Team All-Conference at least twice in their career.

Starting 13 of the Great Danes’ 17 games on the season, junior goalie Lara Behn earned her way back into goal after spending her sophomore season as the backup goalie. The 2021 All-Rookie Team honoree currently leads the conference with a 1.45 goals against average. With two shutouts on the season, she is tied for second in the conference. Credited with just two losses, Behn ranks eighth in the nation with a .818 winning percentage. A Hamburg, Germany native, she notched her first all-conference honor with the Second Team nod.

A staple in the Great Danes’ corner unit, junior Blanca Orsola stands at the top of the circle as one of two stick-stop specialists. Starting all games possible, and missing just one due to a card, she tallied at least one point in seven contests with two multi-point games. Third in the conference with 0.5 assists per game, she ranks in the top-25 of the nation. Totaling 12 points from two goals and eight assists, Orsola grabs her first America East postseason award with the Second Team All-Conference honor.

Rounding out the teams, the Great Danes secured two All-Rookie honorees in starters Mara Küskes and Axelle Werbrouck.

Making an immediate impact, Werbrouck contributed to two goals in the first weekend of action. The Antwerpen, Belgium native saw time in all 17 games, with 15 starts, on her way to four goals and one assist on the season.

UAlbany primary corner inserter, Küskes ranks second in the conference, top-15 in the nation, with 0.59 assists per game. Hailing from Mönchengladbach, Germany, she notched 11 games with at least one point including four multi-point games. Overall, she has totaled three goals and 10 assists on the season.

Making a splash both on the field and in the classroom, Behn, de Ruiter, and Smisdom added All-Academic honors. With the highest GPA of the three, Behn is earning a 3.97 in Communication. de Ruiter follows with a 3.86 in Human Biology and Smisdom owns a 3.69 in Accounting and Business Administration.

The Great Danes will continue the season as the second seed in the America East Tournament (Nov. 2-5). Hosted by UMass Lowell, UAlbany has earned a bye and will start competition in the second semifinal game on Friday (Nov. 3) at 3 p.m.

For more information on the University at Albany field hockey team, follow the squad's official social media accounts shown below.
Twitter - @ualbanyfh
Instagram & Threads - @ualbanyfh
Facebook – facebook.com/UAlbanyFH