NEW YORK (Nov. 2, 2022) – The BIG EAST Conference has announced its individual awards and all-conference teams in field hockey. Forward Marlon de Bruijne of Old Dominion has been unanimously selected BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year, while her teammate Cam MacGillivray has been named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year. Connecticut midfielder Sol Simone has been tabbed BIG EAST Freshman of the Year. The balloting was done by the league’s head coaches who were not permitted to select their own players.
The Old Dominion coaching staff, led by head coach Andrew Griffiths, was named BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year.
The announcement comes prior to the BIG EAST Championship Presented by JEEP which will be held November 4 & 6 at the L.R. Hill Sports Complex on the campus of Old Dominion University in Norfolk, Va. The top-seed in the event for the first time in program history, the Monarchs are looking to capture their first BIG EAST title, while No. 2 seed Liberty enters as the reigning champion.
Liberty and Old Dominion, co-BIG EAST regular-season champions, each placed three players on the All-BIG EAST First Team, while UConn and Temple each had two honored. Overall, the Lady Flames led all conference squads with six selections on the two teams, while the Monarchs and Huskies tied for second with four.
Bruijne, a junior, earned All-BIG EAST First Team honors for a third straight season. She led the league in scoring this fall with 14 goals and six assists for 34 points. Bruijne helped lead Old Dominion to a 14-2 overall record and a 6-1 BIG EAST mark. The forward is the second Monarch to capture BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year honors, as Rosario Villagra first claimed the award in 2013.
MacGillivray, a graduate goalkeeper, ranks first in the NCAA in save percentage (0.851) this season and second nationally with 0.80 goals against average. Leading the Monarchs defensively to a share of the BIG EAST regular season title, she ranked second in conference play with 0.40 goals against average and 0.917 save percentage in seven outings. Overall, MacGillivray has posted five shutouts and currently sits in a tie for third nationally in goalie win-loss percentage (0.875) with a 14-2 mark.
Simone has been an offensive catalyst for UConn in her first season, dishing out a team-high seven-assists in 17 games and adding two goals for 11 points. Each of her goals have been game-winning tallies and she also leads the Huskies with 26 shots on goal.
The Old Dominion coaching staff earned Staff of the Year honors for the second time, as Griffiths and his staff previously won the honor in 2013, his first season at the helm for the Monarchs. Now in his 10
th season leading Old Dominion, Griffiths and his assistants guided the Monarchs to a share of the BIG EAST regular-season crown for the second time. They enter this week’s BIG EAST Championship as the top-overall seed for the first time, while sitting at 13
th in the national rankings.
Two Old Dominion players were unanimous selections on the All-BIG EAST First Team, Bruijne and senior midfielder Delphine Le Jeune. Both Bruijne and Le Jeune have been selected to the first team for the third-consecutive season, while Liberty’s senior back Bethany Dykema returns to the team for the second straight campaign.
BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year
Marlon de Bruijne, Old Dominion, Jr., F *
BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year
Cam MacGillivray, Old Dominion, Gr., GK
BIG EAST Freshman of the Year
Sol Simone, Connecticut, Fr., M
BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year
Old Dominion
All-BIG EAST First Team
Claire Jandewerth, UConn, Sr., B
Sol Simone, UConn, Fr., M
Charlotte Vaanhold, Liberty, Sr., F
Bethany Dykema, Liberty, Sr., B
Lizzie Hamlett, Liberty, Sr., M
Cam MacGillivray, Old Dominion, Gr., GK
Delphine Le Jeune, Old Dominion, Sr., M *
Marlon de Bruijne, Old Dominion, Jr., F *
Stella Tegtmeier, Quinnipiac, Sr., M
Tess Muller, Temple, So., M
Nienke Oerlemans, Temple, Gr., B
All-BIG EAST Second Team
Julia Bressler, UConn, Fr., F
Cheyenne Sprecher, UConn, Gr., GK
Azul Iritxity Irigoyen, Liberty, Jr., GK
Jodie Conolly, Liberty, Sr., B
Daniella Rhodes, Liberty, Sr., F
Frederique Zandbergen, Old Dominion, So., M
Nora Goddard-Despot, Providence, Sr., M
Emilia Massarelli, Quinnipiac, So., F
McKenna Burkhardt, Temple, Sr., B
Meghan Mitchell, Villanova, Jr., F
Sabine De Ruijter, Villanova, Jr., B
*denotes unanimous selection