McConnell, Van Kuijck named NFHCA Division II National Players of the Week

GENEVA, N.Y. — Junior goalkeeper from No. 6 Saint Anselm College, Mackenzie McConnell, and sophomore midfielder from No. 2 West Chester University, Valerie Van Kuijck, have been named this week’s NFHCA Division II Defensive and Offensive Players of the Week sponsored by ScoreBreak, respectively.

NFHCA Division II Defensive Player of the Week

Mackenzie McConnell, No. 6 Saint Anselm College, Jr., Goalkeeper (Concord Township, Maine)

• Recorded 17 saves on 19 shots against No. 1 Shippensburg University and No. 7 Millersville University
• Posted a career high 17 saves against Shippensburg as the Saint Anselm Hawks were outshot by a 32-to-5 margin
• Marks the most saves by a Saint Anselm goalkeeper since 2017
• Made eight saves on nine shots against Millersville

NFHCA Division II Offensive Player of the Week​

Valerie Van Kuijck, No. 2 West Chester University, So., Midfielder (Denbosch, The Netherlands)

• Scored a pair of goals and added three assists over two top-10 opponents
• Scored the game-winner goal in a 10-1 win over No. 4 Assumption
• Scored the third goal and assisted on three others as the West Chester Golden Rams rolled to a 5-1 victory vs No. 8 Bentley

The National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) is a nonprofit organization serving field hockey coaches and supporters of the game from across the United States. The mission of the organization is to stimulate the professional development of coaching leadership within the sport of field hockey. The NFHCA strives to cultivate and recognize the professional contributions of its membership and to foster and promote the growth of the sport. The NFHCA is responsible for providing a recognizable presence and voice in regard to legislation affecting the sport as well as interscholastic and intercollegiate programs.