NEW YORK (Nov. 2, 2023) – The BIG EAST Conference has announced its individual awards and all-conference teams in field hockey. Forward Meghan Mitchell of Villanova has been selected BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year, while Liberty’s Jodie Conolly has been unanimously named BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year.
 
The return of BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year has been garnered by Liberty’s Azul Iritxity Irigoyen, while the first ever BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year has been awarded to Quinnipiac’s Stella Tegtmeier. Old Dominion freshman goalkeeper Suus Broers and Providence freshman midfielder Florencia Talarico share BIG EAST Freshman of the Year accolades. The Lady Flames, led by Nikki Parsley-Blocker, are the BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year.
 
All-BIG EAST teams and major awards were selected by a vote of the league's head coaches who were not allowed to vote for their own players or coaching staff.
 
The announcement comes prior to the BIG EAST Championship Presented by JEEP which will be held November 3 & 5 at Howarth Field on the campus of Temple University in Philadelphia. The top-seed in the event is the two-time defending champion Liberty, while Old Dominion, Temple and Villanova round out the field.
 
The top-two seeds Liberty and Old Dominion combined for 10 players on the All-BIG EAST First and Second Teams (five each), while No. 3 seed Temple has three and No. 4 Villanova has two. UConn has three players on the pair of teams, while Quinnipiac and Providence both have two.
 
Mitchell, a senior, earned All-BIG EAST first team honors leading the Wildcats back to the BIG EAST Championship for the first time since 2018. She ranks second in the BIG EAST and 12^th nationally with 2.12 points per game, totaling 15 goals and dishing out six assists in 17 regular season outings. In conference action, she tied for the BIG EAST lead with six goals, as the Wildcats wrapped up league action 4-3.
 
For the first time in BIG EAST history, coaches voted for a BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year, with the preseason honoree Tegtmeier securing the yearly award. Unanimously selected to the All-BIG EAST First Team, the graduate student capped the year with seven assists, six goals and a team-leading 19 points.
 
Anchoring the Liberty backline, Conolly was unanimously selected as a First Team All-BIG EAST member. Conolly and the Lady Flames’ defense ranked among the nation’s best in multiple categories including win-percentage (0.941, t-1^st), goals against average (0.67, 2^nd), shutouts per game (0.47, t-2^nd), and save percentage (0.826, 2^nd). The graduate back also made an impact on the offensive end, leading Liberty with 29 points, including nine goals and 11 assists.
 
An award previously distributed from 1998-2010, the 14^th ever BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year is Iritxity Irigoyen, as the senior acted as a stalwart in net during Liberty’s historic regular season. Tied for first in the NCAA in win-percentage (0.941), she enters the postseason with 54 total saves, seven shutouts, a 0.818 save percentage and a 16-1 mark in net.
 
Broers tied-for-second in the BIG EAST with five shutouts in her first collegiate season, as she helped the Monarchs close out the 2023 regular season with 10 consecutive victories to earn the No. 2 seed in the Championship. Overall, Broers has 46 saves on the year with a 1.18 goals-against average.
 
Talarico earned All-BIG EAST Second Team honors in her first collegiate season. The freshman midfielder controlled the pace of play for the Friars all season long, capping the year with two goals and six assists.
 
Entering the BIG EAST Championship ranking sixth nationally, Liberty captured its third consecutive BIG EAST regular season title, second outright crown, under the leadership of Parsley-Blocker and her staff. The Lady Flames finished a perfect 7-0 in BIG EAST regular season play for the second time in the last three seasons. Liberty's 16-1 regular season record is its best in school history.
 
BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year
Meghan Mitchell, Villanova, Sr., F
 
BIG EAST Midfielder of the Year
Stella Tegtmeier, Quinnipiac, Gr., M
 
BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year
Jodie Conolly, Liberty, Gr., B*
 
BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year
Azul Iritxity Irigoyen, Liberty, Sr., GK
 
BIG EAST Co-Freshman of the Year
Suus Broers, Old Dominion, Fr., GK
Florencia Talarico, Providence, Fr., M

BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year              
Liberty
 
All-BIG EAST First Team
Sol Simone, UConn, So., M
Jodie Conolly, Liberty, Gr., B*
Bethany Dykema, Liberty, Gr., B
Azul Iritxity Irigoyen, Liberty, Sr., GK*
Reagan Underwood, Liberty, Sr., M
Marlon de Bruijne, Old Dominion, Sr., F*
Nicole Fredricks, Old Dominion, Gr., B
Frederique Zandbergen, Old Dominion, Jr., M
Stella Tegtmeier, Quinnipiac, Gr., M*
Tess Muller, Temple, Jr., M/F*
Meghan Mitchell, Villanova, Sr., F

All-BIG EAST Second Team
Julianna Kratz, UConn, Gr., F
Sanne Stout, UConn, Fr., B
Martu Cian, Liberty, Jr., M
Eléonore de Keyser, Providence, Sr., B
Florencia Talarico, Providence, Fr., M
Suus Broers, Old Dominion, Fr., GK
Sacha de Gier, Old Dominion, So., F
Lucia Pompeo, Quinnipiac, Jr., F
Molly Frey, Temple, 5th-Yr., GK
Alizé Maes, Temple, Jr., B
Sabine de Ruijter, Villanova, Sr., F/M
 
*denotes unanimous selection