Deacon, Rijpma and Steinmetz Earn All-Region Honors
11/19/2008 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Nov. 19, 2008
EAST LANSING, Mich. - Three members of the Michigan State field hockey program were selected to the 2008 Longstreth/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division I All-Regional Team on Wednesday, Nov. 19. Juniors Jeamie Deacon (Wexford, Ireland) and Floor Rijpma (Bunnik, Netherlands) were named First Team All-Region, while sophomore Jantine Steinmetz (Amstelveen, Netherlands) was named to the second team. This is the second-straight year the three have earned the honor, and marks the 10th time in 23 years that the Spartans have had three or more players selected to the all-region teams in a single season.
Jeamie Deacon finished the year second on the team with a career-high 35 points and 12 goals. Deacon started 20 of the 21 games she played in, and led the team with two penalty strokes made. She earned her fourth career Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 29 after scoring seven points in two wins. Deacon is tied for the second-most player of the week conference honors in Spartan history. She also earned First Team All-Big Ten accolades for the second-straight season.
Floor Rijpma was the offensive leader for the Spartans in 2008, scoring a career-high 18 goals and 40 points. She started all 23 games, and recorded her first career hat trick on Oct. 3 when she posted four goals in a 9-1 win over Indiana. Rijpma earned her first career player of the week honors from the conference, and was named to the First Team All-Big Ten.
Jantine Steinmetz finished the season with seven goals and six assists for 20 points, and was one of five Spartans to post 20 or more points in 2008. Steinmetz earned Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week honors for the third time in her career on Nov. 3, and was named Second Team All-Big Ten.
"As a program we can be excited to be represented by three players on the All-Region team," said head coach Rolf van de Kerkhof. "The three earned their honors throughout the season, and had a chance to be awarded due to the great work of their entire team so they could stand out."
"I'm disappointed for Chantae Miller as she is missing from the All-Region team," said Van de Kerkhof. "She is one of the best freshmen in the country, but I know her time will come."
The Michigan State field hockey team went 17-6 on the year, tying for third-most wins in a single season. They advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the sixth time in school history, upsetting North Carolina, the defending National Champion, in the first round, 3-2. The Spartans then fell to Big Ten foe Iowa, 1-0, in the second round.
