PANCIOCCO NAMED COACH OF THE YEAR, FOUR NAMED ALL-NECC
Four members of the Regis College field hockey team were named to the New England Collegiate Conference All-Conference Teams, it was announced on Monday morning by the league offices. Head coach Nikki Panciocco was also named the NECC Coach of the Year in voting conducted by the league’s coaches.
WESTON, Mass. – Four members of the Regis College field hockey team were named to the New England Collegiate Conference All-Conference Teams, it was announced on Monday morning by the league offices. Head coach Nikki Panciocco was also named the NECC Coach of the Year in voting conducted by the league's coaches.
Freshman Aineen Callahan (Diamond Point, N.Y.) was named to the First Team All-Conference as a midfielder, while Raegan Heck (Phillipston, Mass.), Kelsey Morton (South Portland, Maine), and Yvonne Abate (Easton, Mass.) were named to the All-Conference Second Team. Alycia LeConche (Simsbury, Conn.) was named to the All-NECC Sportsmanship Team as well.
Panciocco helped lead the Pride to the NECC Semifinals for the fourth time in five seasons since Regis joined the league in 2011. The Pride's 10-9 overall mark tied the program record for wins in a season and were the most wins since the 2003 season.
Aineen Callahan led the Pride in goals (7), assists (3), and points (17) in just her first season with the team. The freshman ranked 10th in both goals and points in the NECC this year, while scoring five goals and adding two assists in conference games. Callahan scored a pair of game-winning-goals this season in a 3-2 win over eventual NECC Champion Becker College on October 6, and a 3-0 win over Daniel Webster College on October 14. She was named the NECC Rookie of the Week three times this season, and was also named to the NECC All-Tournament Team.
Raegan Heck wraps up an illustrious career at Regis with her most wins in a single season (10), to go with her highest career save percentage (.811) and fewest goals allowed (34). Heck also made 146 saves this season and posted a 2.04 goals-against average. She led the league in GAA, ranked third in the league in save percentage, and finished fifth in saves. Heck leaves the field hockey program as a three-time All-NECC selection with 24 career wins, 583 saves, a 2.28 career GAA, and a .791 save percentage and 10 career shutouts.
Junior Kelsey Morton scored six goals this season and added an assist for 13 points. Morton earns her first All-NECC selection after ranking 12th in goals and 13th in points in the conference. She scored both goals – including the game-winner in overtime – in a 2-1 victory over New England College back on September 19.
In her first season at Regis, Yvonne Abate helped backstop a Pride defense that gave up the fewest goals per game in the NECC (2.08). The freshman also helped out offensively, scoring a goal and adding three assists for five points this year. Her first career goal proved to be the game-winner in a 3-0 win at Rivier back on October 28. Abate was also named to the NECC All-Tournament Team after the Pride's appearance in the NECC Semifinals.