Field Hockey Claims 11 Members on the Zag Field Hockey/NFHCA Division II National Academic Squad

CHANDLER, Ariz. – The Zag Field Hockey/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division II National Academic Squad was announced on Tuesday as 11 student-athletes made the list for West Chester in addition to one member also being a Scholar of Distinction. The Zag Field Hockey/NFHCA Division II National Academic Squad includes all student-athletes with a cumulative grade-point average of 3.30 or greater through the first semester of the 2016-17 academic year. The list for the Golden Rams included: Nikki Bennett (Littlestown, Pa. / Gettysburg), Lindsay Engle (Medford, N.J. / Shawnee), Emily Evans (Newark, Del. / St. Mark's), Lily Feldman (Marlton, N.J. / Cherokee), Kaitlin Hatch (Sewell, N.J. / Washington Twp.), Caitlin Kelly (Coatesville, Pa. / Bishop Shanahan), Sydney Ostroski (Lewes, Del. / Cape Henlopen), Dayle Paustian (Martinsville, N.J. / Bridgewater-Raritan), Sophie Ruppert (Manheim, Germany / Ludwing-Frank), Morgan Snodgrass (Egg Harbor, N.J. / Egg Harbor Twp.), and Rachal Toppi (Glassboro, N.J. / Glassboro). Both Bennett and Paustian were four-year members of the Zag Field Hockey/NFHCA Division II National Academic Squad. Meanwhile, Engle earned another honor in being one of the seventy-nine members of the Division II National Academic Squad who also were named Zag Field Hockey/NFHCA Division II Scholars of Distinction. This honor means that Engle achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.90 or greater through the first semester of the 2016-17 academic year. On the field, Toppi collected a plethora of awards that included the Longstreth/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division II National Player of the Year, the NFHCA Atlantic Region Player of the Year and a NFHCA first-team All-America. She earned All-America status for the third time in as many seasons at West Chester. She also took home the offensive player of the year award from the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC). Toppi led all of Division II with 24 goals and 53 points. Joining Toppi on the NFHCA Division II All-America Team was Paustian. She posted six goals, eight assists and 20 points while accounting for three game-winners of her own. The senior captured a handful of honors, being a first-team All-PSAC selection for two consecutive years and obtaining All-ECAC honors by the conference-member schools. The senior captured a handful of honors, being a first-team All-PSAC selection for two consecutive years and obtaining All-ECAC honors by the conference-member schools. There were a total of 427 student-athletes who made the list and 31 schools with representation.