NEW YORK – The BIG EAST Conference announced Thursday its individual awards and All-Conference teams in field hockey.
Quinnipiac midfielder Francisca Eschoyez, Temple midfielder/forward Peyton Rieger, and Villanova forward Ava Borkowski shared BIG EAST Offensive Players of the Year accolades, while UConn’s Sol Simone and Providence’s Bo Martina were named Co-BIG EAST Midfielders of the Year.
Liberty sophomore Dara Semmartin was the unanimous choice for BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year, and her teammate Diane Saint Martin earned BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year. The Flames, led by head coach Nikki Parsley-Blocker, were voted the BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year.
Rounding out the major awards, Temple midfielder/forward Lucia Magro was the unanimous selection for BIG EAST Freshman of the Year.
All-BIG EAST teams and major awards were selected by a vote of the league’s head coaches, who were not permitted to vote for their own players or coaching staff. No ties were broken.
The announcement comes ahead of the 2025 BIG EAST Championship presented by JEEP, which will be held November 7-9 at Liberty Field Hockey Field on the campus of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va. Liberty earned the tournament’s top seed, while UConn, Old Dominion, and Villanova round out the field.
Liberty placed five players on the All-BIG EAST First and Second Teams, while No. 2 seed UConn had four selections. No. 3 seed Old Dominion earned five spots, while No. 4 seed Villanova, Providence, and Temple had two selections each. Georgetown and Quinnipiac each had one honoree.
Eschoyez led both Quinnipiac and the BIG EAST with 36 points. Rieger paced the Owls and ranked tied for second in the league with 10 goals, while Borkowski led Villanova with eight goals, ranking sixth in the BIG EAST.
Simone led UConn with 15 points and ranked third in the conference with 0.625 assists per game. Martina led the Friars with 22 points and ranked fourth in the BIG EAST in goals per game (0.529).
Anchoring Liberty’s backline, Semmartin was a unanimous All-BIG EAST First Team selection. The Lady Flames rank fifth nationally and first in the BIG EAST in shutouts per game (0.47). A five-time BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week, Semmartin leads the conference and ranks eighth nationally in assists per game (0.88).
Saint Martin finished the regular season with the second highest save percentage (.767) and lowest goals-against average (0.823) in the BIG EAST, ranking fifth nationally.
Magro ranked second on the Owls with 20 points on nine goals and two assists, marking the most points by a Temple freshman since 1987.
Entering the BIG EAST Championship ranked seventh nationally, Liberty captured the BIG EAST Regular Season Championship under the leadership of Parsley-Blocker and her staff. The Lady Flames finished the regular season 15-2 overall and 7-0 in conference play.
BIG EAST Co-Offensive Players of the Year
Francisca Eschoyez, Quinnipiac, So., M
Peyton Rieger, Temple, Sr., M/F
Ava Borkowski, Villanova, Gr., F
BIG EAST Co-Midfielders of the Year
Sol Simone, UConn, Sr., M
Bo Martina, Providence, Jr., M
BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Year
Dara Semmartin, Liberty, So., D *
BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year
Diane Saint Martin, Liberty, Fr., GK
BIG EAST Freshman of the Year
Lucia Magro, Temple, Fr., M/F *
BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year
Liberty Flames
All-BIG EAST First Team:
Juana Garcia, UConn, Sr., M
Sol Simone, UConn, Sr., M
Lou Combrinck, Liberty, Sr., F/M
Dara Semmartin, Liberty, So., D *
Diane Saint Martin, Liberty, Fr., GK
Serena Langendoen, Old Dominion, So., D *
Bo Martina, Providence, Jr., M
Francisca Eschoyez, Quinnipiac, So., M
Lucia Magro, Temple, Fr., M/F
Peyton Rieger, Temple, Sr., M/F
Ava Borkowski, Villanova, Gr., F
All-BIG EAST Second Team:
Julia Bressler, UConn, Sr., F
Natalie McKenna, UConn, Jr., GK
Elena Perez Alejandro, Georgetown, Jr., M
Josefina Tomasi, Liberty, So., F
Julieta Tornati, Liberty, Fr., D
Suus Broers, Old Dominion, So., GK
Sian Emslie, Old Dominion, Sr., F
Sanci Molkenboer, Old Dominion, Sr., M
Amelie Zielcke, Old Dominion, So., D/M
Carly van Benten, Providence, Jr., F/M
Gemma Lysaght, Villanova, Jr., D
*denotes unanimous selection