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STOCKTON, Calif. – Four members of the UMass Lowell field hockey team earned America East All-Conference honors, as announced by the league at the annual championship banquet on Wednesday evening on the campus of the University of the Pacific.
 
Freshman Anouk Lalande (Brussels Belgium) was named to the East Division All-Conference Team, as well as the All-Rookie Team. Junior Christa Doiron (Worcester, Mass.) joined Lalande on the All-Conference Team, while freshman Eva Berkhout (Amersfoort, Utrecht, Netherlands) also garnered an All-Rookie Team selection. Junior Kelsey Federico (Windham, N.H.) rounded out the River Hawks' award winners an All-Academic Team nod.
 
"Our coaching staff gets to see these student-athletes compete and practice every day and we certainly believed that they are worthy of these awards," said Head Coach Shannon Hlebichuk. "We're very grateful that the conference coaches also recognized their athletic abilities and we're proud of all their performances this year."
 
Lalande leads UMass Lowell in 2016 with 29 points, marking the most points scored by a River Hawk freshman since 2010 (Rachel McCarthy, 32). The newcomer, who earned America East Rookie of the Week twice this season, is first on the squad with nine assists. Her best performance so far this year came against Saint Louis on September 18, when she tallied four goals and one assist for nine points. Her nine-point showing in that outing ranked tied for second all-time on UMass Lowell's single-game record list. Most recently, she closed out the regular season on a three-game point streak.
 
"It is an amazing achievement for Anouk to be recognized as an All-Conference player and be named to the All-Rookie squad in just her first year with our program," commented Hlebichuk. "She has been the ultimate complete player for us this season from her goal-scoring capabilities to her play-making abilities."
 
Doiron, a co-captain in 2016, has turned in the best season of her collegiate tenure en route to picking up All-Conference honors. So far, she has registered a team- and career-high 10 goals, along with personal-best marks for assists (5) and total points (27). She has put together three multi-goal games and scored the game-winning goal against Sacred Heart on October 2.
 
Berkhout impressed during her first season in the cage for the River Hawks, going undefeated in her first four decisions and finishing the regular season at 5-2. She has turned away 63 shots in 2016 to rank second overall in the America East with a .759 save percentage. Berkhout, who also owns a 2.29 goals against average in 12 appearances, made a season-high 11 saves against UAlbany on Oct. 14.
 
Federico rounded out the River Hawk award winners with her first America East All-Academic Team selection. The English and Literature major boasts a 3.90 GPA with minors in Italian studies, disability studies and education. The junior goalkeeper is also a two-time NFHCA Division I National Academic Squad selection and NFHCA Scholar of Distinction honoree. She has been named to the America East Fall Honor Roll for the past two seasons, as well. On the field, Federico is ranked third among all goalkeepers in the conference with 86 total saves and fourth with a .717 save percentage. In UMass Lowell's regular-season finale on Oct. 30, she logged a career-high 22 saves against UAlbany.
 
"Kelsey represents us extremely well both in the classroom and on the field," concluded Hlebichuk. "I'm proud of her commitment to both academics and athletics, and her willingness to give her best in all areas."
 
The River Hawks will play their first ever America East Championship game tomorrow in a quarterfinal matchup against Stanford beginning at 3 p.m. ET / 12 p.m. PT.