BOSTON, Mass. – Seven members of the UMass Lowell field hockey team garnered 2025 America East All-Conference honors, as announced by the league office on Monday.
 
Sophomore Karlijn Kerkhof (Rotterdam, Netherlands) earned All-Conference First Team accolades to lead the group of honorees. Senior Madison Leeper (East Amherst, N.Y.), junior Karli Penrod (Seaford, Del.) and sophomore Alice Van Hemelen (Tervuren, Belgium) were all named All-Conference Second Team, while freshmen Veerle Mous (Breda, Netherlands) and Rena Pistilli (Lambaré, Paraguay) were tabbed All-Rookie Team selections. Leeper and graduate student Cate Kleeman (Gibbsboro, N.J.) received All-Academics Team nods, as well, to round out the River Hawk selections.
 
"I'm really proud of the efforts Karlijn, Alice, Karli, Madison, Rena and Veerle have displayed on the field over the course of the season and always happy to see them recognized by the conference," said Head Coach Shannon LeBlanc. "We have asked a lot out of them individually and to play some different roles throughout the season, and all of them truly stepped up and made sure we earned a top four seed in the conference tournament."
 
Kerkhof led the River Hawks with 14 goals, nine assists and 37 points. Her performance set a new Division I single-season program record for points and matched the DI single-season record for goals. Her 14 goals also ranked second in the America East, while her 2.44 shots on goal average topped the conference leaderboard. She logged a six-game point streak from September 5-21 and registered three game-winning goals.
 
Leeper earns All-Conference honors for the third consecutive year. She started all 18 games this season, totaling eight goals and 22 points. Her six assists marked a personal best, as well. Also excelling in the classroom, the nursing major has successfully juggled a rigorous academic load while competing to earn her first All-Academic Team nod.
 
Despite missing the early part of the season due to injury, Penrod hit the ground running, starting all of the team's last 12 games. She rattled off five goals for 10 points during that stretch with two, multi-goal games, most recently at Maine, where she scored twice to give her team a 3-2 conference win on October 24.     
 
After starting just three games and tallying one goal last season, Van Hemelen came on strong in her sophomore campaign. The midfielder started all 18 games, totaling five goals and 14 points to rank third on the team. She also added four assists, as well.
 
Mous started all 18 games in the cage for the River Hawks during her rookie year. She totaled 123 saves, good for first in the America East and fifth on the program's DI single-season record list. The keeper logged a season-high 14 saves twice, including vs. Maine in the postseason matchup on November 2.
 
Pistilli started all 17 games she appeared in, anchoring the River Hawks' backline. She finished tied for third on the team with 14 points, including four goals and six assists. Her six helpers also ranked tied for second on the team.
 
Kleeman has earned a spot on the All-Academic Team for the third year in a row. On the turf, the back started 17 of 18 games this season and registered one assist. She is currently pursuing a master's degree in business analytics and owns a 4.000 GPA in the Manning School of Business.
 
"Cate and Madison leading the way academically is a true testament to both of their commitment to achieving excellence in the classroom and on the field, and I'm happy they were honored by the conference, as well," concluded LeBlanc.