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Monday, November 20, 2006

WATKINS IS FIELD HOCKEY'S FIRST ALL-AMERICAN SINCE 2000

MEDFORD -- For the first time in six seasons, the Tufts University Field Hockey team had a player named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division III All-American team. Senior Stacey Watkins (St. Louis, MO/John Burroughs) is on the Third Team, making her the first All-American player at Tufts since Amy Polverini and Colette Gaudet in 2000.

Last week, Watkins garnered All-New England West Region honors from the NFHCA for the second straight year. In the week prior to that, she gained an All-New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) First Team selection that marked her second appearance on the All-Conference teams. Today's national honor caps here outstanding career with the Jumbos.

Watkins was the epitome of senior leadership for head coach Tina McDavitt's Jumbos this year. She was leading contributor offensively and defensively, and joined fellow co-captain Marilyn Duffy-Cabana (Amesbury, MA/Amesbury) as leaders of a team that posted the best record at Tufts in eight years.

With four goals and six assists for 14 points this fall, Watkins contributed to an offense whose 35 goals scored were the most by the team since the 1996 season. The striker on offensive corners, her booming shot helped the Jumbos scored 13 times on corner opportunities.

The backbone of the defense and post player on defensive corners, she led the Jumbos with four defensive saves and contributed to six shutouts and a 1.16 team goals against average. Down the stretch, when Tufts had to win games to earn a home berth into the NESCAC Tournament, Watkins and the rest of the Jumbo defense posted shutout wins over #4 Williams College, Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) New England champion Endicott and Connecticut College.

Tufts, which hosted a NESCAC Tournament game for the first time and defeated Trinity 2-1, finished 11-5 overall. That's the best Jumbo mark since the 1998 squad went 11-4.

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