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Dec. 14, 2016

CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. – Virginia field hockey junior midfielder Tara Vittese (Cherry Hill, N.J.) was named the 2016 VaSID State Player of the Year with freshman back Dominique van Slooten (Laren, Netherlands) being named the co-rookie of the year and head coach Michele Madison voted as the coach of the year in honors announced Wednesday (Dec. 14) by the Virginia Sports Information Directors.

The Cavaliers had seven players named to the all-state teams with Vittese and van Slooten as well as senior midfielder Lucy Hyams (Whitstable, England) and sophomore goalkeeper Carrera Lucas (Brooklandville, Md.) earning first-team honors while senior forwards Caleigh Foust (Bryn Mawr, Pa.) and Riley Tata (Virginia Beach, Va.) as well as junior back Nadine de Koning (Laren, Netherlands) were named to the second team. Van Slooten shared the rookie of the year honors with Liberty’s Allison Schaefer.

Vittese, the Longstreth/NFHCA South Region Player of the Year and a first-team All-American, finished the season with 15 goals and 11 assists, ranking fourth in the ACC with 1.71 points per game. The 2016 ACC Offensive Player of the Year and first-team All-ACC member 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 131 points with 47 goals and 37 assists, all three of which rank in the top 10 in UVA history. This is her third-straight state player of the year honor.

In her rookie campaign, van Slooten, an all-region honoree, paced the conference with five defensive saves and was named to the ACC All-Tournament team for her efforts in helping the Cavaliers win the championship for the first time in program history. She started every game this season for the Cavaliers, playing nearly every minute, and began her collegiate career by scoring a goal in her first game against Miami (Ohio).

Hyams, a first-team All-American, had 21 points this season on nine goals with 11 assists, including contributing eight points on two goals and four assists during the Cavaliers’ ACC championship run. Hyams, who was named to the All-ACC First Team as well as being named to the ACC All-Tournament Team, finished her career ranked in the top-10 in program history with 37 career assists and logged her 100th career point in the ACC semifinal victory over Wake Forest.

Lucas, a second-team all-region honoree, was second in the ACC, averaging 5.20 saves per game, and fourth with a .727 save percentage. Lucas finished the season with a 14-6 record with four shutouts.

Foust, a second-team all-region honoree, scored nine goals this season, five of which were game-winners. Foust was named the MVP of the ACC Championship after scoring two game-winning goals during the tournament, including the overtime game-winner against Wake Forest. Foust ended her career with 42 goals and seven assists.

Tata finished her senior season with 11 goals and an assist. She finished her four-year career in 10th place in the UVA record book with 46 goals, including 10 game-winners.

De Koning appeared in 24 games this season with 22 starts, logging four assists as part of the Cavaliers’ penalty corner attack. Defensively, she helped lead the Cavaliers to four shutouts and picked up a defensive save in the regular-season contest at North Carolina on Oct. 7.

Madison earned her second-consecutive Virginia State Coach of the Year honor after leading the Cavaliers the first ACC title in program history. Virginia finished the season with a 16-8 record and advanced to the quarterfinals of the NCAA Championship. This is Madison’s sixth time earning the honor (2006, 2009-10, 2012, 2015-16).

Player of the Year: Tara Vittese, UVA
Coach of the Year: Michele Madison, UVA
Co-Rookie of the Year: Allison Schaefer, Liberty
Co-Rookie of the Year: Dominique van Slooten, UVA

First-Team All-State
F, Emily McNamara, VCU
F, Edel Nyland, Longwood
F, Cammie Lloyd, W&M
M, Tara Vittese, UVA
M, Hannah Hall, JMU
M, Lucy Hyams, UVA
D, Serena Barr, Liberty
D, Dominique van Slooten, UVA
D, Meg Byas, ODU
D, Florien Sondern, JMU
G, Carrera Lucas, UVA

Second-Team All-State
F, Leonie Verstraete, Longwood
F, Caleigh Foust, UVA
F, Miranda Rigg, JMU
F, Riley Tata, UVA
M, Bethany Barr, Liberty
M, Estelle Hughes, W&M
M, Erin Menges, W&M
M, Agueda Moroni, Liberty
D, Lil-Sophie Achterwinter, Longwood
D, Booter Ellis, W&M
D, Nadine de Koning, UVA
G, Kealsie Robles, ODU

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