Bos, Polders headline SAC awards
MOUNT OLIVE – Freshman forward Nikki Bos was selected the South Atlantic Conference Freshman of the Year and head coach Daan Polders garnered SAC Coach of the Year honors as the Trojans featured eight All-SAC selections.
Bos became the first-ever UMO recipient of the SAC Freshman of the Year accolade and was named All-SAC First Team after having the best statistical season in program history. She collected 33 points behind 13 goals and seven assists, all single-season team records for the fourth-year program. She delivered three-multiple goal performances this season, including the program’s first career hat trick against Lincoln Memorial. Bos also ranks in the top 10 nationally with 2.06 points and 0.81 goals per game. She was also one of three players from UMO to earn SAC Offensive Player of the Week this season.
Polders earned Coach of the Year honors for the first time in his career from the SAC. In his fourth year at the helm, he has led the Trojans to a historically successful season with a 13-3 overall record behind an undefeated 12-0 mark in conference play. Polders helped Mount Olive to its first national ranking in program history, as the team has reached as high as No. 7 in the poll this year. The Trojans are also riding the longest winning streak in NCAA Division II field hockey at 13 games. UMO will enter the conference tournament as the No. 1 seed from the Piedmont Division after being picked fourth in the preseason poll.
In addition to Bos, junior forward Avery Congleton, sophomore midfielder Annefleur Moerkerken and freshman midfielder Jule Schuurman were all named to the All-SAC First-Team on Tuesday.
Congleton had a breakout season after ranking second on the team with 22 points on eight goals and six assists with 14 starts. She totaled two multiple-goal performances and had an eight-match stretch this season of collecting at least one point.
Moerkerken was a presence in the midfield and defensively throughout the entire year. She finished with a total of eight points on two goals and four assists in 16 starts. She opened up the offense by controlling the midfield while assisting the team to its best defensive season.
Schuurman made an instant impact as a newcomer this year featuring a balanced stat line with five goals and six assists to finish the year with 16 points. She scored a pair of game-winning goals, including the goal that led UMO to a 2-1 win over No. 6 ranked Converse on Oct. 22.
The UMO honorees on the All-SAC Second Team included sophomore goalkeeper Alanna Barrett, sophomore defender Celine de Witte, freshman defender Jinte Ogterop and freshman defender Maud van Duin.
Barrett registered all 13 wins this season between the posts with three solo shutout performances and another three combined shutouts. She ranks 10th in the nation and second in the conference with a 1.40 goals against average and has collected 36 saves this season. She was also the program’s first-ever recipient of the NFHCA Division II Defensive Player of the Week award.
De Witte, Ogterop and van Duin have combined to make a formidable UMO defense this season that has totaled six shutouts, all in conference play. They have limited eight opponents to seven shots or fewer, including holding nationally-ranked Converse to just four shots in a win earlier this season. De Witte and van Duin have shut down multiple scoring opportunities on the corners of the defense, while Ogterop with her speed and stamina has controlled the central defense.
— From University of Mount Olive Athletics
