Teams: Field Hockey: Press Releases

Thursday, November 8, 2007

CASELLAS-KATZ, HOLLIDAY & SCHOLTES EARN ALL-NESCAC AWARDS

Margi Scholtes

Brittany Holiday

Ileana Casellas-Katz

MEDFORD -- In the midst of perhaps the best season in Tufts history, the Tufts University field hockey team placed three players on the 2007 All-New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) teams. Record scorer Ileana Casellas-Katz (Denmark, ME/Fryeburg Academy) and junior Brittany Holliday (Wellesley, MA/Wellesley) were voted on to the first team, as selected by the conference's 10 head coaches. Sophomore Margi Scholtes (Grosse Pointe, MI/Grosse Pointe South) is on the second team.

On the day that the All-NESCAC announcements were made, Tufts was earning a 6-0 victory over New England College in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament on Wednesday. The team has tied a school record for victories in a season with its 13-4 record. They now travel to Salisbury University in Maryland to take on the Sea Gulls in an NCAA second round game on Saturday at 11:00 am.

Casellas-Katz has produced the best offensive season in Tufts field hockey's 34-year history. She scored three goals with an assist against New England College to extend her single-season scoring records to 18 goals and 41 points. Nine goals and two assists for 20 points came in the nine conference games during the regular season. Entering the week, she was tied for third in the NESCAC scoring race.

Holliday emerged as one of the league's best midfielders this fall. She has eight goals and two assists for 18 points so far this fall. She's the squad's penalty shot expert, scoring on both of her attempts this season. A fast, relentless player, she is the team's flyer on defensive corners and provides the offense with endless energy.

Scholtes' strong ball-striking skills on penalty corner chances and free hits led to 11 assists this fall, the second-most for a single season in team history and second in NESCAC this season. Also the backbone of the defense, she was part of a Jumbo unit that is second in NESCAC this season allowing just 16 goals in 17 games.

This is the second All-NESCAC award for Casellas-Katz, and the first each for Holliday and Scholtes.

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