Two Spartans Earn All-America Honors
11/24/2008 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Nov. 24, 2008
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Two members of the Michigan State field hockey program were selected to the 2008 Longstreth/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFCHA) Division I All-American Teams on Monday, Nov. 24. Junior Floor Rijpma (Bunnik, Netherlands) was named to the first team, while fellow junior Jeamie Deacon (Wexford, Ireland) earned second team honors.
It is the ninth time in MSU history that two players have earned All-America honors in a single season, and 2008 marks the second straight season. Rijpma is just the fourth player in school history to be named to the first team. Both players earned All-America honors last season, with Deacon being named to the second team and Rijpma earning third team accolades.
Rijpma was the offensive leader for the Spartans in 2008, scoring a career-high 18 goals and 40 points. She started all 23 games, and recorded her first career hat trick on Oct. 3 when she posted four goals in a 9-1 win over Indiana. Rijpma earned her first career player of the week honors from the conference, and was named to the First Team All-Big Ten.
Deacon finished the year second on the team with a career-high 35 points and 12 goals. Deacon started 20 of the 21 games she played in, and led the team with two penalty strokes made. She earned her fourth career Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 29 after scoring seven points in two wins. Deacon is tied for the second-most player of the week conference honors in Spartan history. She also earned First Team All-Big Ten accolades for the second-straight season.
"Congratulations to Floor, Jeamie and the Spartan field hockey team," said head coach Rolf van de Kerkhof. "With the awards, it shows that our program has taken a step forward from the previous season. Last season we were in the sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament and had players on the second and third team All-American, while this year we were in the elite eight and had first and second team accolades. I'm eager to see what we can do next season."
The Michigan State field hockey team went 17-6 on the year, tying for third-most wins in a single season. They advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time in school history, upsetting North Carolina, the defending National Champion, in the first round, 3-2. The Spartans then fell to Big Ten foe Iowa, 1-0, in the second round.
