February 25, 2004

GENEVA, N.Y.—The William Smith field hockey team received the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) National Academic Team Award and placed 10 players on the 2003 NFHCA Division III National Academic Squad.

The National Team Award is presented to teams that achieved a minimum 3.0 grade point average during the 2003 fall semester. To earn a place on the National Academic Squad, student-athletes must maintain a minimum 3.3 grade point average through the 2003 fall semester.

As a team, the Herons posted a 3.22 grade point average during the fall semester, with 15 of the squad’s 23 players boasting a GPA of 3.0 or better.

First-year midfielder Brooke Atwood (Marathon/Marathon, N.Y.), junior midfielder Angie Dann (Marathon/Marathon, N.Y.), junior defender Lea Desforges (Woodstock Union/Stockbridge, Vt.), first-year forward Lisa Doiron (Hall-Dale/Chelsea, Maine), sophomore defender Melissa Fitch (Oyster River/Durham, N.H.), sophomore defender Lauren Fuller (Shaker/Loudonville, N.Y.), junior forward Lily Gillett (Wheeler School/Seekonk, Mass.), sophomore goalie Sue Jordan (Boothbay/Boothbay, Maine), first-year forward Minnie Muzquiz (Fayetteville-Manlius/Syracuse, N.Y.), and junior midfielder Sarah Silverio (Radnor/Villanova, Pa.) represented William Smith on the National Academic Squad.

Desforges, Fitch, Jordan, and Silverio also earned a spot on the 2002 NFHCA All-Academic Squad.

William Smith finished the 2003 season with a 14-6 overall record, including a perfect 7-0 in the UCAA to secure the league’s regular season crown. Ranked 12th in the final NFHCA coaches poll, the Herons lost a heart-breaking 2-1 double overtime decision to 10th-ranked Skidmore in the UCAA tournament championship game. While William Smith was left out of the NCAA Tournament field for just the third time since 1987, the Herons earned a spot in the ECAC Mid-Atlantic Tournament, falling in the quarterfinals to Oneonta 1-0 in overtime.

One of the most successful programs in the nation, William Smith field hockey teams have posted 19 consecutive winning seasons and 17 straight postseason appearances, including NCAA Division III national championships in 1992, 1997, and 2000. Over the past five seasons, 12 Herons have earned All-American honors, including five first-team selections.

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