Seven Scots Named All-Conference, Five All-Region

Amanda Artman

Postseason accolades have been rolling in for The College of Wooster’s field hockey team, which won the North Coast Athletic Conference championship with a perfect 12-0 record, highlighted by freshman Amanda Artman (Shaker Hts., Ohio / Shaker Heights) being voted the NCAC Offensive Player of the Year, as announced by the conference office on Monday. The National Field Hockey Coaches’ Association issued the 2006 All-Great Lakes Region Team last Monday (Nov. 13).

Artman, also the NCAC Newcomer of the Year, was joined on the All-NCAC First Team by seniors Anlyn Addis (Ann Arbor, Mich. / Pioneer), Katy Baron (River Forest, Ill. / Oak Park & River Forest), and Miranda Leickly (Gahanna, Ohio / Columbus Academy), while another senior, goalie Anne Leigh (Englewood, Colo. / Cherry Creek), along with junior Kate Persing (Canton, Conn. / Kimball Union – N.H.) were second-team all-conference, and freshman Brittany Montgomery (Glens Falls, N.Y. / Glens Falls) received honorable mention.

In addition, Addis, Artman, and Leickly garnered first-team status on the all-region team, while Baron and Leigh were picked for the All-Great Lakes Second Team.

Artman becomes the first from Wooster to be selected the league’s best offensive player since 2001 (Emily White) and it’s the first time a Scot has been chosen the top rookie since 1998 (Kate Dunne). Artman led the NCAC in all three major scoring categories – goals (19), assists (12), and points (50) – and ranks as the nation’s 14th-leading scorer (2.38 ppg) in the most recent NCAA Div. III statistics. Overall, her 50 points stand as the third-highest single-season total in school history, as she’s the first Wooster player to crack that milestone since 1982.

Addis, now a back-to-back first-team All-NCAC honoree as well as a three-time member of the All-Great Lakes Region Team, ranked right behind Artman in the league statistics as she was second in goals (16), assists (11), and points (43). The three-year starter at forward scored multiple goals six times this fall, none more impressive than a four-goal game against rival Wittenberg University Oct. 7, and is among the top-30 in Div. III in assists (0.52 apg).

Baron, who finishes her career with a third all-conference distinction (first on first-team) and second all-region recognition, was the squad’s top midfielder. While regularly controlling the action this season, Baron was Wooster’s fourth-leading scorer via 12 points on five goals and two assists. She started all four years (81 games), scoring 16 times and passing out 14 assists along the way for 46 career points.

Leickly, like Addis, earned her second citation on the All-NCAC First Team after anchoring the Fighting Scots’ defense for the second year in a row. Also a two-time All-Great Lakes pick, Leickly helped lead Wooster to 10 shutouts in 21 games during 2006, as opponents averaged a conference-low 0.95 goals. Offensively, she contributed two goals and five assists.

Leigh, a four-year starter in the cage, caps her career with a pair of mentions on both the all-conference and all-region teams. This fall, she posted a .857 save percentage – second-best in the league and 11th in Div. III – and a 0.97 goals against average while playing almost every minute. Leigh had eight shutouts and tallied 120 saves, bringing her four-year totals to a school-record 21 and 467, respectively.

Persing, along with Leickly, was one of the Scots’ top backs. The first-time All-NCAC honoree started all 19 games she played, missing two due to a wedding, and helped the defense to a league-leading 0.95 goals allowed per game. Statistically, she recorded one goal, one assist, and two defensive saves.

Montgomery made an immediate impact, as the freshman forward was leading Wooster in scoring through the season’s first nine games with 24 points and she ended up with 29 on 14 goals and one assist. Montgomery ranked fifth in the NCAC scoring race (1.38 ppg).

As a team, Wooster won its fifth NCAC championship, and second outright, while going 15-6 overall during 2006. Also of note, the Scots became the first league team to go through the NCAC regular season without a blemish on their record since Denison University also went 12-0 in 1999.