Nov. 3, 2010

Tournament Central

DAVIDSON, N.C.- On the eve of the 13th annual NorPac Championship, the Stanford field hockey program was well-represented with seven all-conference selections, tying Davidson for the league lead as announced Wednesday night at the annual awards banquet.

Among the highlights: senior Xanthe Travlos being named Player of the Year for the second consecutive season and sophomore Becky Dru honored as the Defensive Player of the Year.

Travlos' selection as the West Division Player of the Year represents the third straight season a Stanford player has captured the honor, with Camille Gandhi serving as the recipient in 2008.

A three-time NFHCA All-West Region pick and four-time all-conference selection, Travlos ranks second on this year's squad in goals (6) and shots (49) and is third in points (14). Travlos' junior year has been her best season to date, scoring a career-high 17 goals (the most for any Cardinal player since Sara Hallock found the cage 25 times in 1993) while notching 38 points and 70 shot attempts en route to be coming the 13th player in school history to be named an All-American.

One year after earning Rookie of the Year accolades, Dru was tabbed the Defensive Player of the Year. The sophomore defender leads Stanford in goals (8), assists (6), points (22) and shots (63) while tallying two game-winning goals.

Travlos and Dru were also awarded all-conference spots, resulting in a league-best five selections on the squad from Stanford joining junior Stephanie Byrne, senior Camille Gandhi and junior Alessandra Moss.

In addition to being tied for the team lead with six assists, Byrne has scored five goals and tallied 33 points. She leads Stanford with four game-winning goals, including a pair of 2-1 overtime clinchers.

Gandhi has totaled two goals, five assists, nine points and a pair of defensive saves. Moss has made 58 saves in goal, notching a 10-5 record while registering the lowest GAA of her career at 1.38.

Stanford's march to the postseason begins Thursday afternoon, as the Cardinal looks to capture its fourth consecutive conference tournament title. This year's NorPac Championship is hosted by Davidson, with the action getting underway on Thursday morning in Davidson, N.C.

Stanford (11-5, 5-1 NorPac) has secured the No. 1 seed in the West Division and will clash with Appalachian State (5-12, 1-5 NorPac) on Thursday at 10:30 a.m. PT. Stanford and Appalachian State have faced off in the opening round of the tournament in four of the last five years, with the Cardinal posting a 4-0 mark and outscoring the Mountaineers by a combined 22-2 margin. That includes a 9-0 Stanford shutout in last year's tourney lid-lifter at the Varsity Turf.

NorPac Coach of the Year
Ginny Turner, Davidson

West Player of the Year
Xanthe Travlos, Stanford

West Offensive Player of the Year
Nadia Namdari, UC Davis

West Defensive Player of the Year
Becky Dru, Stanford

East Player of the Year
Finley Amato, Davidson

East Offensive Player of the Year
Finley Amato, Davidson

East Defensive Player of the Year
Lauren van de Kamp, Longwood

Maria Whitehead Rookie of the Year
Stacey de Grandhomme, Longwood

Sheryl Johnson Academic Award
Sarah Schneider, UC Davis

Julie Nagel Extraordinary Teammate Award
Maddie Parrish, Davidson

West Division All-Conference
Stephanie Byrne (Stanford), Sr., Forward
Becky Dru (Stanford), So., Defender
Camille Gandhi (Stanford), Sr., Defender
Lisa Lohre (California), Sr., Defender
Alessandra Moss (Stanford), Jr., Goalkeeper
Nadia Namdari (UC Davis), So., Forward
Kelly Perkins (Pacific), Sr., Forward/Midfielder
Megan Psyllos (California), Sr., Midfielder
Amanda Spellman (Pacific), Junior, Midfielder/Defender
Xanthe Travlos (Stanford) Sr., Midfielder
Casey Wollbrinck (UC Davis), So., Defender

East Division All-Conference
Finley Amato (Davidson), So., Forward
Lara Cariker (Radford), Sr., Midfielder
Lisa Charney (Appalachian State), So, Forward
Stacey de Grandhomme (Longwood), Fr. Forward
Olga Knop (Longwood), Jr., Defender
Steph Meador (Davidson), Jr., Defender
Nicole Morgan (Appalachian State), Sr., Forward
Jennie Mostellar (Davidson) Sr., Forward
Clare Perry (Davidson), Sr., Midfielder
Bridgette Street (Appalachian State), Jr., Goalkeeper
Lauren Sullivan (Longwood), Sr., Forward
Kay Tufts (Radford), Sr., Forward
Lauren Van de Kamp (Longwood), Jr., Defender
Madonna Wadolowski (Radford), So., Midfielder