Tara Vittese Named ACC Offensive Player of the Year
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Nov. 2, 2016
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia field hockey junior midfielder Tara Vittese (Cherry Hill, N.J.) has been named the 2016 ACC Offensive Player of the Year, as announced by Atlantic Coast Conference Commissioner John Swofford on Wednesday (Nov. 2).
Vittese and senior midfielder Lucy Hyams (Whitstable, England) were also named to the All-ACC First Team.
Vittese finished the regular season with 11 goals and eight assists, leading the league with 4.32 shots per game. The 2015 NFHCA National Player of the Year was named ACC Offensive Player of the Week twice this season and was named the National Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 4. In her three-year career, Vittese has contributed 120 points, including 34 assists, both of which rank in the top 10 in UVA history. This is her third first-team all-conference honor.
Vittese is the third player in program history to earn ACC Player of the Year honors, joining Lori Mastropietro (1998) and Paige Selenski (2012).
Hyams has 21 points this season on seven goals with seven assists, including scoring the game-winning overtime goals against Boston College and Syracuse. Hyams currently ranks in the top10 in program history with 33 career assists and is on the verge of reaching the 100 career points threshold. This is Hyams third All-ACC honor and her second time being voted to the first team.
The Virginia field hockey team (12-7, 3-3 ACC) will face Boston College (10-8, 3-3 ACC) in the first round of the 2016 Atlantic Coast Conference Field Hockey Championship, on Thursday, Nov. 3 at 4 p.m. The tournament is being held Nov. 3-6 at Wake Forest’s Kentner Stadium in Winston-Salem, N.C.
2016 ACC Field Hockey Individual Honors
Offensive Player of the Year – Tara Vittese, Virginia
Defensive Player of the Year – Julia Young, North Carolina
Freshman of the Year – Nicola Pluta, Wake Forest
Coach of the Year – Pam Bustin, Duke
2016 All-ACC Field Hockey Teams
First Team
Alyssa Chillano, Jr., D, Duke
Heather Morris, Sr., F, Duke
Ayeisha McFerran, So., GK, Louisville
Julia Young, Sr., D, North Carolina @
Emma Bozek, Sr., F, North Carolina @
Lauren Moyer, Sr., F, North Carolina
Lies Lagerweij, Jr., D, Syracuse
Roos Weers, So., D, Syracuse @
Laura Hurff, Jr., M, Syracuse @
Tara Vittese, Jr., M, Virginia #
Lucy Hyams, Sr., M, Virginia #
Nicola Pluta, Fr., F, Wake Forest
Second Team
Audra Hampsch, Sr., GK, Boston College
Emily McCoy, Sr., M, Boston College @
Frederique Haverhals, So., D, Boston College
Ymke Rose Gote, So., M, Boston College
Aisling Naughton, Gr., F, Duke
Erin McCrudden, Sr., M, Louisville
Nicole Woods, Jr., F, Louisville @
Lizzie Gittens, Gr., D, Louisville
Minout Mink, Fr., F, Louisville
Eva van’t Hoog, So., M, North Carolina
Malin Evert, So., M, North Carolina
@ Two-time honoree, # Three-time honoree