Monday, November 21, 2005

NAPOLITANO, WATKINS NAMED TO NFHCA ALL-REGION TEAM

MEDFORD – Named to the All-New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) team earlier this month, Tufts University field hockey players Lea Napolitano (Waltham, MA/Waltham) and Stacey Watkins (St. Louis, MO/John Burroughs) now have a regional honor to add to their resumes.

Both players were named to the 2005 Dartfish/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division III All-New England West Region First Team. Tufts was one of four squads in the region to place two players on the first team, joining NESCAC members Middlebury, Bowdoin and Williams.

Napolitano, a senior midfielder and co-captain, was the field general for the Jumbos this fall. This is her third year on the NFHCA All-Region team, following a second team honor in 2003 and first-team recognition last season. She is also a three-time All-NESCAC selection. She finished the season with three goals and three assists for nine points, but more valuably was a leader on and off the field.

Watkins is one of the best defenders in the region and added offense to her repertoire this fall as the primary striker on corners for the Jumbos. Assigned to the opponent's leading scorer, she helped Tufts post a 1.59 goals against average that was fourth-best in NESCAC this season. She was also third in the team in scoring with 10 points (three goals, four assists) and 38 shots.

Tufts finished the regular season fifth in NESCAC with a 5-4 record. Head Coach Tina McDavitt's team was 8-7 overall after losing 1-0 to Wesleyan in the first round of the conference tournament.

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