Five Named All-American in Field HockeyBLOOMSBURG—Five members of the 2002 NCAA Division II champion Bloomsburg University field hockey team were named first team All-Americans on Monday by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association.
Picking up the honors were Shanna Fritz (Benton/Benton), Nikki Hartranft (Oley/Oley Valley), Trish Leitzel (Richfield/Middleburg), Sharla Partlon (Langhorne/Neshaminy) and Sheila Zilinski (Barto/Boyertown). Fritz, a junior, was tied for the team high in goals scored this season with 14 and led the team in assists with 10 and points with 38. Fritz, a first team All-PSAC selection, had five multi-goal games during the year with her best effort coming against Mansfield when she scored twice and had three assists. She was also named the NCAA All-Tournament team after assisting on one goal in the NCAA national semi-finals against Lock Haven. It is the second time that Fritz has been named a first team All-American.
Hartranft, a junior, finished second on the team in scoring this year with 13 goals while adding eight assists. Hartranft, a first team All-PSAC selection the last two years, assisted on two goals in the NCAA championship game with one of her assists coming on a between the legs pass to Sheila Zilinski. Hartranft had her best game of the year in a win over Indiana (PA) when she scored twice and had one assist. For Hartranft, it is her first All-American selection after earning second team honors last year. In her career, Hartranft is tied for eighth all-time in goals scored with 36.
Leitzel, a senior, was named first team All-American for the first time after previously picking up three, second team awards. The Huskies all-time leader in career shutouts with 39.5, Leitzel posted a 0.44 goals against average during the season and made 63 saves. In four post-season playoff games, she allowed just two goals, while making 15 saves. In the PSAC title game, Leitzel came up with eight saves to earn the game's Most Valuable Player award. In the NCAA championship game, she stopped two shots late in the contest to preserve the team's shutout win over Bentley College. Leitzel was also named to the NCAA All-Tournament team for her play.
Partlon, a sophomore midfielder, was named All-American for the first time. During the season she scored six times, including once in the NCAA championship game, and had four assists. It was her play along with several of her teammates in the middle of the field that allowed the Huskies to control the field position during the NCAA championship game. Partlon, a first team All-PSAC selection this year, was also named to the NCAA All-Tournament team.
Zilinski, a junior, is a first team All-American for the first time in her career. She ended the season tied for the team lead in goals with 14 and was second in assists with eight. She showed why she was named the PSAC Field Hockey Athlete of the Year after scoring two goals in the NCAA title game and once in the NCAA semi-finals. For her play in the NCAA tournament, Zilinski was named to the All-Tournament team. During the year Zilinski had her best game of the year in a win over Slippery Rock with two goals and two assists. She also scored three times in a win over Mansfield. Bloomsburg finished the year with a perfect 21-0 record, while winning their 10th NCAA Field Hockey title. The unbeaten, untied season was third for coach Jan Hutchinson and first since 1999. Dating back to last year the team has won 30 straight games. |