Liberty's Moroni, UConn's Pieper and Sprecher Take #BIGEASTfh Honors
NEW YORK – Liberty forward Agueda Moroni, who leads the nation in points per game, has been named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year. Connecticut’s Cecile Pieper, a two-way standout from her back position, has been chosen BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year. Pieper’s teammate, goalkeeper Cheyenne Sprecher, has been named BIG EAST Freshman of the Year. The voting was done by the league’s head coaches who were not permitted to vote for their own players.
The coaching staff of regular-season champion Connecticut, led by head coach Nancy Stevens, was tabbed BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year. The Huskies are the top seed at this week’s BIG EAST Championship presented by Jeep, which will be held at the Liberty Field Hockey Field on the Liberty campus in Lynchburg, Va.
The coaches also selected an 11-player All-BIG EAST First Team and an All-BIG EAST Second Team. Pieper led a group of five Huskies on the first team. Liberty, the No. 2 seed at this week’s Championship, had three players on the first team.
Moroni, a senior from Cordoba, Argentina, has amassed 25 goals and 11 assists for 61 points in 17 games. Her 3.69 points per game average is first in the nation. She has helped the Lady Flames to a 12-5 overall record and a 6-1 BIG EAST mark.
Pieper, a senior from Manheim, Germany, anchors a Husky defense that has yielded only 24 goals in 19 games. In BIG EAST play, UConn has given up only four goals in seven contests. Pieper is also a top offensive threat. She ranks fifth nationally in scoring with 2.74 points per game. The senior has 21 goals and 10 assists for 52 points.
Sprecher is a freshman goalkeeper who helped UConn to its regular-season crown and a 16-3 overall record. A native of Palmyra, Pa., she led all starting BIG EAST goalkeepers with a 1.28 goals against average. Sprecher also ranks first in save percentage with a .755 mark.
Pieper and Sprecher led five UConn players on the All-BIG EAST First Team. The other Husky selections were senior forward Amanda Collins, junior forward Svea Boker and senior forward/midfielder Amelia Iacobucci.
In addition to Moroni, Liberty’s first-team picks were sophomore back/midfielder Ashley Dykema and sophomore midfielder Jill Bolton. Old Dominion had two first-team representatives, junior forward Erin Huffman and junior back Rebecca Birch. Providence had senior midfielder/back Corinne Kenney.
Five All-BIG EAST First Team members were unanimous selections: UConn’s Pieper and Collins, Liberty’s Moroni and Dykema along with ODU’s Huffman.
The All-BIG EAST Second Team includes four players each from Providence and Villanova. The Friars and the Wildcats and the third and fourth seeds, respectively, at the BIG EAST Championship. UConn, Liberty and Quinnipiac also were represented on the second team.
BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year
Agueda Moroni, Liberty
BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year
Cecile Pieper, Connecticut
BIG EAST Freshman of the Year
Cheyenne Sprecher, Connecticut
BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year
Connecticut
All-BIG EAST First Team
Svea Boker, Connecticut, Jr., F
Amanda Collins, Connecticut, Sr., F*
Amelia Iacobucci, Connecticut, Sr., F/M
Cecile Pieper, Connecticut, Sr., B*
Cheyenne Sprecher, Connecticut, R-Fr. GK
Jill Bolton, Liberty, So., M
Ashley Dykema, Liberty, So., B/M*
Agueda Moroni, Liberty, Sr., F*
Rebecca Birch, Old Dominion, Jr., B
Erin Huffman, Old Dominion, Jr., F*
Corinne Kenney, Providence, Sr., M/B
*unanimous selection
All-BIG EAST Second Team
Toni Tiedtke, Connecticut, Jr., M/F
Abby Julius, Liberty, Sr., M
Madison Babineau, Providence, So., M
Izzy Mendez, Providence, Jr., F/M
Mary O’Reilly, Providence, Jr., M
Lydia Rice, Providence, Sr., GK
Elisa Ruiz Martinez, Quinnipiac, Sr., MF
Riley Dolan, Villanova, So., M
Erika Miller, Villanova, Sr., GK
Christen Pennington, Villanova, Jr., M/B
Megan Vermeil, Villanova, Jr., F
Contact: John Paquette, Sr. Assoc. Commissioner,
jpaquette@bigeast.com – 646-663-3443