FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Monks' Rupert Lewis also
named GNAC Coach of the Year

WINTHROP, Mass. – In addition to placing four on the 2018 Great Northeast Athletic Conference Field Hockey All-Conference First Team, Saint Joseph's College of Maine has taken home four major yearend awards, as announced by the league office on Tuesday.

Monks junior forward Libby Pomerleau was crowned the 2018 GNAC Offensive Player of the Year, as voted upon by the league's eight head coaches, while senior Megan Baker was selected as the GNAC Goalkeeper of the Year, freshman forward Emma Rutledge was named the GNAC Rookie of the Year, and head coach Rupert Lewis took home GNAC Coach of the Year honors.

The accolades come after SJC secured its third GNAC Championship in as many years with a convincing 4-0 victory over Lasell College this past Sunday. The Monks will travel to Endicott on Wednesday evening at 6:00 PM in an NCAA Division III Tournament First-Round matchup.

Pomerleau, the 2018 GNAC Tournament MVP, enters Wednesday with 20 goals and six assists for 46 points on the season, while Baker led all GNAC goalkeepers with a .879 save percentage and 0.45 goals-against average. Rutledge, who was a 2018 All-GNAC Second Team honoree in addition to her Rookie of the Year award, currently has 49 points on 17 goals and 15 assists.

It marks the second GNAC Coach of the Year award for Lewis, who also received the honor back in 2016.

Simmons University senior Meghan Fontaine was named the GNAC Defensive Player of the Year as the Sharks allowed just 14 goals in their seven GNAC contests.

Lasell placed four on the All-GNAC First Team, headlined by senior forward Cailin Flannery and junior forward Sam Taylor, who rank first and second, respectively, among GNAC leaders in points with 51 and 50. Flannery led the way with 21 goals while Taylor was tied for first with 16 assists. Senior midfielder Julia Franzik and junior back Mindy Esposito also garnered First Team accolades for the Lasers.

Colby-Sawyer College senior forward Jordan Teixeira, who had 12 goals and five assists for the 14-5 Chargers, and Colby-Sawyer senior midfielder Colleen Burke rounded out the First Team.

For the complete All-Conference and All-Sportsmanship selections, please see below.

First Team
F – Jordan Teixeira, Colby-Sawyer (Sr., Exeter, N.H.)
F – Cailin Flannery, Lasell (Sr., Medford, N.J.)
F – Sam Taylor, Lasell (Jr., Hanover, Mass.)
F – Libby Pomerleau, Saint Joseph's (Maine) (Jr., Limerick, Maine)
M – Colleen Burke, Colby-Sawyer (Sr., Orange, Mass.)
M – Julia Franzik, Lasell (Sr., Wallingford, Conn.)
M – Arianna Kahler, Saint Joseph's (Maine) (Sr., Lisbon Falls, Maine)
B – Mindy Esposito, Lasell (Jr., Sunderland, Mass.)
B – Kayla Veilleux, Saint Joseph's (Maine) (Sr., Sabattus, Maine)
B – Meghan Fontaine, Simmons (Sr., Westminster, Mass.)
GK – Megan Baker, Saint Joseph's (Maine) (Sr., Gorham, Maine)

Second Team
F – Aineen Callahan, Regis (Mass.) (Sr., Diamond Point, N.Y.)
F – Kayla Kelly, Saint Joseph's (Maine) (Sr., York, Maine)
F – Emma Rutledge, Saint Joseph's (Maine) (Fr., Alfred, Maine)
F – Emily Plummer, Simmons (Fr., San Diego, Calif.)
M – Megan Horrigan, Lasell (So., Wakefield, Mass.)
M – Maggie Fuzak, Simmons (So., Buffalo, N.Y.)
M – Ana Giarrusso, Simmons (Sr., Hingham, Mass.)
B – Kailyn Lapham, Colby-Sawyer (Jr., Medway, Mass.)
B – Kylee Veilleux, Saint Joseph's (Maine) (Jr., Sabattus, Maine)
B – Abby Anderson, Simmons (So., South Yarmouth, Mass.)
GK – Sofia Rodriguez, Lasell (Fr., Peabody, Mass.)

OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Libby Pomerleau, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR – Meghan Fontaine, Simmons
GOALKEEPER OF THE YEAR – Megan Baker, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
ROOKIE OF THE YEAR – Emma Rutledge, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
COACH OF THE YEAR – Rupert Lewis, Saint Joseph's (Maine)
INSTITUTIONAL SPORTSMANSHIP AWARD – Rivier University

ALL-SPORTSMANSHIP TEAM
Sarah Coley, Anna Maria (Sr., Worcester, Mass.)
Sierra Schuster, Colby-Sawyer (Sr., Hopkinton, N.H.)
Carlotta Petracci, Johnson & Wales (RI) (Sr., Brigantine, N.J.)
Marianna Bean, Lasell  (Sr., Westbrook, Conn.)
Alycia LeConche, Regis (Mass.) (Sr., Simsbury, Conn.)
Nicole Mansfield, Rivier (So., Acton, Mass.)
Samantha Silva, Saint Joseph's  (Maine) (Sr., Laconia, N.H.)
Ana Giarrusso, Simmons (Sr., Hingham, Mass.)

The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 13 member institutions and over 3,000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 20 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience. 

– #TheGNAC –