Six Scots All-Conference, Including Persing on First Team

Kate Persing

» Complete All-North Coast Athletic Conference Team

The College of Wooster field hockey team, which was North Coast Athletic Conference tri-champions during 2007, landed six of its players on the All-NCAC Team, highlighted by first-team honors for Kate Persing (Canton, Conn. / Kimball Union Academy), it was announced by the league office late Monday.

Also receiving recognition were Eileen Barrer (Ann Arbor, Mich. / Pioneer), Anna Hurley (Oxford, Ohio / Talawanda), and Brittany Montgomery (Glens Falls, N.Y. / Glens Falls), each of whom was voted to the second team, as well as honorable mention picks Nina Dine (Tuckahoe, N.Y. / E.C. Fieldston School) and Stephanie Standera (Penfield, N.Y. / Penfield).

Persing, a senior back who was selected first-team all-region last week, gained the second all-NCAC nod of her career (second-team last season), serving as the cornerstone of a Wooster defense that limited 16 of its 18 opponents to two goals or less, including two shutouts. Overall, the Scots averaged 1.56 goals allowed on 11.22 shots per game, while individually, Persing registered one assist and one defensive save. A defensive standout throughout her career, Persing started 55 of 60 games played.

Barrer exploded on to the scene this fall, as the freshman forward led Wooster in scoring with 29 points coming on 13 goals and three assists. After going scoreless her first five games, she ended up at 1.61 points per game, which ranked third in the conference, and the 13 goals were the second-highest total. Barrer produced four two-goal games as well as a one-goal, two-assist effort, highlighting her NCAC action.

Hurley, who previously earned second-team all-region honors for her play as a junior back, was a key part of the Scots’ backfield, alongside Persing. Wooster’s defense was featured in 4-0 shutouts of Denison University (Sept. 26) and Ohio Wesleyan University (Oct. 10), avenging losses to each of those squads from earlier in the season. Statistically, Hurley led the team in defensive saves for the third year in a row, recording five while starting all 18 games this fall.

Montgomery, also a second-team all-region pick a week ago, played an integral role on the Scots’ NCAC-leading offense (2.22 goals per game) again. The sophomore forward tallied 22 points on eight goals and a squad-high six assists, including a pair of four-point games. She is on pace for a 100-point career, having totaled 51 points (22 goals, 7 assists) through 39 games played.

Dine and Standera were both freshman midfielders and stepped into the starting lineup right away. Dine combined for five points, scoring once and assisting on three others, in addition to a couple of defensive saves, while Standera dished out two assists during the year. Both helped the Wooster defense to its average of 1.56 goals allowed as well.

As a team, the Scots shared the NCAC championship with Kenyon College and Wittenberg University, each finishing with an 8-4 league record. Wooster went 11-7 overall, despite losing an All-American forward to a season-ending injury during the second game of the season and starting five first-years.