Tara Vittese Named State Player of the Year

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Dec. 18, 2015

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Four Virginia field hockey players were named to the 2015 VaSID All-State first and second teams and sophomore Tara Vittese (Cherry Hill, N.J.) was named the state player of the year in honors announced by the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) on Friday (Dec. 18).

Vittese, junior midfielder Lucy Hyams (Whitstable, England) and junior striker Riley Tata (Virginia Beach, Va.) were named to the first team with sophomore defender Nadine de Koning (Laren, Netherlands) earning second team honors. Head coach Michele Madison was named the State Coach of the Year.

Vittese, an NFHCA First-Team All-American and the Longstreth/NFHCA National Player of the Year, led the Cavaliers with 39 points, including a team-high 15 goals with nine assists. This is the second-straight State Player of the Year honor for Vittese and the fourth-straight year in which a Cavalier player garnered the honor.

Hyams, also an NFHCA First-Team All-American, logged a team-high 10 assists this season while also contributing 10 goals.

Tata, an NFHCA All-Region honoree, scored 14 goals for the Cavaliers, finishing second on the team with 31 points.

De Koning appeared in 20 games for the Cavaliers, scoring her first collegiate goal this season against Richmond.

Madison claimed her fifth State Coach of the Year award after leading the Cavaliers to the NCAA Quarterfinals. Virginia finished the year at 15-6 overall, and was the no. 3 seed for the national tournament on the way to finishing ranked No. 4 in the final NFHCA Coaches Poll. Madison has also been honored by VaSID for her coaching in 2006, 2009, 2010, and 2012.