CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. β Virginia field hockey senior back Jans Croon was named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year in honors announced Monday (Nov. 4) by the Atlantic Coast Conference.
Croon was also voted to the All-ACC First Team alongside grad student midfielder Suze Leemans. Grad student midfielder Meghen Hengerer was named to the second team.
The honors were selected by a vote of the leagueβs nine head coaches.
Croon is the first Cavalier to be named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year, an honor that was first introduced in 2004. This is the fifth time that a Virginia player has earned a top honor from the conference, joining Lori Mastropietro (Player of the Year, 1998), Paige Selenski (Offensive, 2012) and Tara Vittese (2016 & 2017, Offensive).
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Jans Croon is the first player in program history to be named the ACC Defensive Player of the Year #GoHoos
π https://t.co/GpLMunwTTV pic.twitter.com/thqzMRv075β Virginia Field Hockey (@UVAFieldHockey) November 4, 2024
Croon helped anchor a backline defense that logged five shutouts this season. Croon was also an offensive asset, scoring four goals with two assists.
In her first season playing collegiate field hockey, Leemans scored four goals in her first four games, earning the ACC Offensive Player of the Week award in the second week of the season. She heads into the postseason with five goals and two assists.
Hengerer is in her third season as a team captain, leading the team on the field as a mainstay in the midfield. This season, she has tallied four assists while helping to keep the team ranked in the top four of the NFHCA rankings all season.
These are the first ACC postseason honors for all three student-athletes.