BOSTON - The University at Albany field hockey team earned 14 America East end-of-season awards, highlighted by senior Alison Smisdom’s unanimous Midfielder of the Year honor and senior Lara Behn’s Goalkeeper of the Year honor.

UAlbany led all teams with 14 total selections, including three major awards and three all-academic nods. New Hampshire followed with 10 selections, including two major awards. Vermont earned the final major award with eight total selections.

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

Smisdom and Behn each earned their respective major award along with being named First Team All-Conference and All-Academic. Floor de Ruiter added a Great Dane on both the All-Conference First Team and the All-Academic Team. Delphine Le Jeune, Blanca Orsola, and Charlotte Triggs each earned a Second Team All-Conference nod. Eva Jenniskens and Lotje Ligthart completed their first collegiate regular season with a spot on the America East All-Rookie Team. In addition to the eight student-athlete honorees, Phil Sykes, Andy Thornton, and Dana Bozek tabbed Coaching Staff of the Year.

For the third year in a row, Alison Smisdom was named the Midfielder of the Year, First Team All-Conference, and All-Academic. First in the conference in points per game (2.56) and goals per game (1.11), she ranks in the top five of the nation with both numbers. In addition to offensive prowess, she also leads the conference with six defensive saves - a number that is good for fifth in the NCAA. An Antwerp, Belgium native, she totaled 13 multi-point games, including five multi-goal games and three hat tricks, to become just the second Great Dane to earn four First Team All-Conference honors in their career. 

Tallying her third All-Academic Team nod, she is the eighth Great Dane to achieve the honor three times in their career. After three complete years at UAlbany, she holds a 3.58 GPA with a double major in Accounting and Business Administration.

A three-year starting goalkeeper for UAlbany, Lara Behn was voted the Goalkeeper of the Year to go along with First Time All-Conference and All-Academic honors. Tallying a 1.348 goals against average, she is top 25 in the nation and second in the conference. Credited with just three losses on the season, she ranks in the top five with a .833 goalie win-loss percentage. A Hamburg, Germany native, she has totaled six shutouts, including four solo shutouts. This is Behn’s second All-Conference honor and first time on the First Team. 

For the second consecutive year, Behn was honored with a spot on the All-Academic Team. Spending three complete years as a Communication major, and adding minors in Theater and Business Administration, she holds a 3.97 GPA.
 

Joining Smisdom and Behn on the America East’s All-Conference First Team, Floor de Ruiter also earned a spot on the All-Academic Team. Having been a force in the midfield for years, de Ruiter took a more statistical role this season. Tallying 14 assists, she leads the conference in assists per game (.78) with a top-five ranking in the nation. Adding five goals, the senior is seventh in the conference in points per game (1.33). A native from Noordwijk, The Netherlands, de Ruiter totaled five multi-point games. She had 10 games with at least one assist or goal. With her third First Team All-Conference nod, de Ruiter is just the ninth Great Danes to earn three First Team honors in their collegiate career.

Joining Smisdom with her third consecutive All-Academic nod, she is the ninth Great Dane to achieve a spot on the All-Academic team three times in their career. Earning a 3.87 GPA after three full years at UAlbany, de Ruiter is earning her degree in Human Biology.

A graduate transfer, Delphine Le Jeune has been a staple in the Great Danes’ defense for two years. Totaling nearly 1000 minutes on the field, Le Jeune has started 17 games for UAlbany. She is tied for ninth in the conference with one defensive save. In addition to her work on defense, the Ghent, Belgium native added two assists during the overtime win against #7 Harvard. For her efforts, she has been named Second Team All-America East.

One of the team’s top assisters, senior Blanca Orsola stands at the top of the circle as one of two stick-stop specialists. Starting all 18 games on the season, she tallied at least one point in seven contests with three multi-point games, including a two-goal game against Colgate. A native of Barcelona, Spain, she ranks top 25 in the conference in assists per game (.222, four total) and top 15 in game-winning goals per game (.133, two total). Totaling 12 points from four goals and four assists, Orsola grabs her second America East Second Team All-Conference honor.

The other of UAlbany’s stick-stop specialists, Charlotte Triggs is a fifth-year Great Dane. Stepping up this year, Triggs has totaled 14 points from five goals and four assists to be ranked in the conference in all three stats. Top 25 in the America East in points per game (.78) and assists per game (.222), she is top 15 in goals per game (.278). Hailing from Nottingham, England, Triggs was named Second Team All-Conference for her second postseason award from the league. She was previously named All-Rookie in 2020-21.

Rounding out the teams, the Great Danes secured two All-Rookie honorees in Eva Jenniskens and Lotje Ligthart.

Starting all games except Senior Day, Jenniskens made an immediate impact with two goals in the first three games of the season. As one of six players on the team with double-digit points, she totaled five goals throughout her freshman season. A native of Naarden, The Netherlands, she is tied with three other Great Danes for 15th in the conference in goals per game. 

Stepping up and seeing time in all 18 games, Ligthart scored her first collegiate goal against Merrimack in early September. She went on to add two goals and three assists. A native of Rotterdam, The Netherlands, Ligthart started three games and tallied one game-winning goal.

In addition to the nine student-athletes who were honored, the Great Danes coaching staff were named the Coaching Staff of the Year. The coaches have led this team to many firsts this year. Seniors Alison Smisdom and Floor de Ruiter started the season strong to lead the nation in points per game, goals per game, and assists per game (between the two of them) at one point during 2024. The team earned its best ranking since 2019 when voted 13th in the October 1 NFHCA Coaches Poll. Most recently, the Great Danes finished the regular season undefeated in conference play for the first time since 2014 to host the AE Tournament for the first time since 2015.

The Great Danes will continue the season as the first seed in the America East Tournament (Nov. 2-5). Hosted by UAlbany for the first time since 2014, the Great Danes have earned a bye and will start competition in the second semifinal game on Friday (Nov. 8) at 2 p.m.

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