CUA Field Hockey Earns National Academic Team Award

WASHINGTON (Feb. 28, 2006) -- The Catholic University field hockey team was recognized with a National Field Hockey Coaches Association academic team award while placing eight student athletes on the national academic squad.

The team is one of 78 Division III field hockey programs to garner a NFHCA DIII National Team Award, with an overall team GPA of 3.26 for the fall term. Teams selected for this honor must achieve a minimum overall GPA of 3.0 during the fall semester of the 2005-06 academic year.

Senior Kathleen Langan (Columbia, Md./Hammond) and junior Megan Payne (Elkton, Md./Elkton) led the Cardinals academically with high GPAs in biology with a pre-med concentration and biomedical engineering studies, respectively. Langan also was a first team All-Capital Athletic Conference pick for her athletic performance this fall.

To be eligible for the academic squad, athletes must earn a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.30 through the first semester of the 2005-06 academic year.

Also receiving honors: seniors Christy Engstrom (Phonenixville, Pa./Spring-Ford), Jamie Punyko (Langhorne, Pa./Neshaminy), Tara Rutledge (Farmingdale, N.J./Howell) and Melissa Schneider (Haddonfield, N.J./Paul VI); junior Jayme Dinsmore (Dunkirk, Md./Northern); and freshman Elizabeth Homan (St. Louis, Mo./Cor Jesu). 

The Cardinals, led by Head Coach Gia Cillizza, finished the 2005 season with an 11-7 overall record and a second place finish in the CAC. This was the first time the team reached the conference championship, losing 3-1 to eventual national champion Salisbury University. The Cardinals then earned a berth to the Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III Mid-Atlantic Field Hockey tournament where they advanced to the semifinals.


Headlines:
CUA Field Hockey Earns National Academic Team Award (Feb. 28, 2006)
Punyko Named All-American (Nov. 28, 2005)
Punyko Named to All-Region First Team (Nov. 21, 2005)
Cardinals Place Five on All-Conference Team (Nov. 15, 2005)
Cardinals Lose to Gettysburg in ECAC Semis, 1-0 (Nov. 12, 2005)
Cardinals Advance to ECAC Semifinals with Win over McDaniel (Nov. 9, 2005)
Cardinals Host McDaniel in ECAC First Round (Nov. 7, 2005)
Salisbury Defeats Cardinals, 3-1 for CAC Title (Nov. 5, 2005)
CUA Defeats St. Mary's; Faces #1 Salisbury for CAC Title (Nov. 2, 2005)
Punyko Named to Division III All-Star Team (Oct. 28, 2005)
Frostburg Defeats CUA in Double Overtime (Oct. 27, 2005)
CUA Ranked Third in NCAA Regional Poll (Oct. 20, 2005)
Cardinals Fall to Lynhcburg, 2-0 (Oct. 15, 2005)
CUA Continues Climb in NFHCA Coaches Poll (Oct. 11, 2005)
Repass Continues Family Tradition at CUA (Oct. 10, 2005)
CUA Edged 2-1 by #1 Salisbury in Final Minutes (Oct. 5, 2005)
Catholic University Field Hockey Moves up to 15th in National Poll (Oct. 4, 2005)
Field Hockey Moves up Two Spots to 17th in Coaches Poll (Sept. 27, 2005)
CUA Field Hockey Improves to 7-1 with Win over Christopher Newport (Sept. 25, 2005)
CUA Ranked 19th in National Poll; Repass named DIII Player of the Week (Sept. 20, 2005)
Catholic Defeats Seahawks in Conference Opener (Sept. 5, 2005)
CUA Drops Opener to Va. Wesleyan, 4-2 (Sept. 3, 2005)



2005 FIELD HOCKEY SCHEDULE AND RESULTS
(11-7 Overall, 3-2 CAC)
Cumulative Stats

* Capital Athletic Conference Games
^# Field Hockey Parents Weekend
** Field Hockey Senior Day
2005 ROSTER

Head Coach: Gia Cillizza
Assistant Coaches: Ashli Carpi, Kristy Palchinsky
Captains: Christy Engstrom, Katie McCarthy, Jamie Punyko