CLEVELAND, OH - Kenyon junior forward Grace Lane (Chelsea, MI/Chelsea), Ohio Wesleyan sophomore midfielder Olivia Danley (Del Rio, TX/Independence (VA)), and Denison senior defender Grace Lock (St. Louis, MO/Webster Groves) have been named the Players of the Year to highlight the 2023 All-North Coast Athletic Conference field hockey selections.
Lane is the fifth Kenyon player to claim Offensive Player of the Year honors, and the first since Sarah Metzmaier was selected in 2019. The junior collected her third All-NCAC certificate and is making her first appearance on the top team after earning second-team laurels in 2022 and honorable mention accolades in 2021. Lane led the league in goals (15), points (36) and shots (84), while tying for the top spot in game-winning goals (5). The forward was also top-five in the NCAC in shots on goal (46) and assists (6). In league action, Lane led the conference with 31 shots on frame and 60 overall shots and tallied at least one point in seven of her team’s 10 matchups. The junior recorded eight goals, three of which were game-winners, and four assists against conference opponents. The Owls earned the No. 4 seed in the NCAC Tournament and finished the season with a 10-8 overall record and a 6-4 mark in conference play.
Danley, who earns her first All-NCAC certificate, is the first Ohio Wesleyan player to claim the Midfielder of the Year honor. The sophomore helped lead the Battling Bishops to a perfect 10-0 record in conference play to capture the program’s first NCAC title since 2019. She recorded a league-best nine goals and seven assists in conference action for an NCAC-high 25 points while also tying for the top spot with three game-winning goals against league opponents. Overall, the midfielder tallied 14 goals, five game-winning goals, and seven assists for 35 points. The Battling Bishops entered the NCAC tournament as one of only three undefeated teams in the nation and closed out their season with a 17-1 record.
Lock, who earned a back-to-back selection to the first team, is the sixth Denison player to earn NCAC Defensive Player of the Year recognition, and the first since Rachel Kelsey collected the award in 2019. The senior helped lead the Big Red to a near-perfect 9-1 mark in NCAC play, which qualified the team for their 14th-straight appearance in the NCAC Tournament. The defender anchored a Denison backline that allowed just 12 goals through 18 games and 1117:55 minutes of action. The Big Red posted a 0.67 goals-against-average and have earned 14 shutouts this season. Denison did not concede a single goal in conference play this season, with the team’s only loss coming from a shootout with OWU. Lock and the Big Red defense allowed no more than four shots on goal in all ten NCAC games, including holding opponents without a shot in three conference matchups.
Denison senior defender Cary Mauck (Richmond, VA/St. Catherine’s) is the lone three-time All-NCAC first-team selection after earning the honor for the third-straight season. DePauw sophomore forward Hailey Nowak (Oak Park, IL/Oak Park & River Forest) earns her second-consecutive selection to the first team, while Wooster senior midfielder Maddie Peek (Bowling Green, OH/Maumee Valley Country Day School) collects her first top-team honor after being named to the third team in 2022. Five student-athletes make their All-NCAC debut on the top team this season including, DePauw junior forward Amy Apfelbaum (Lake Villa, IL/Lakes), Washington & Jefferson senior forward Hailey Wachowiak (Wexford, PA/North Allegheny), Wooster sophomore goalkeeper Cate Barkdoll (Oak Park, IL/Oak Park & River Forest), along with Ohio Wesleyan first-year midfielder Grace Ammon (Southborough, MA/Algonquin Regional) and sophomore midfielder Alyssa Markell (Leesburg, VA/Loudoun County).
In addition, Ohio Wesleyan’s Ammon was named the 2023 NCAC Newcomer of the Year as the league’s top player in their first year of collegiate competition. Ammon is the seventh OWU player to claim the honor, and the first since Cayla Homsher received the nod in 2019. The rookie started in all 18 of the Battling Bishops’ games this season, and currently owns a league- and team-high nine assists, to go along with three goals for 15 points. In NCAC play, the midfielder was ranked third in shots (36), tied for ninth in assists (3) and tied for 10th in shots on goal (17).
Denison claimed the 2023 Coaching Staff of the Year honor, the sixth coaching award in program history. The Big Red are led by Head Coach P.J. Soteriades and Assistant Kelsey Devine. The Denison offense was top-five in the league with 192 shots, 127 shots on goal, 35 goals, 12 game-winners, 22 assists and 92 points in 18 games played. In league action, the Big Red tallied the second-most goals (28), assists (17) and points (73), while the Denison defense held NCAC opponents scoreless, posting a perfect 0.00 goals-against average through 10 conference matchups. Denison earned its league-leading fifth NCAC tournament title and will enter the NCAA postseason for the 15th time in program history.