Northwestern University Athletics
Photo by: Northwestern Athletics
Record Eight Wildcats Named to NFHCA All-West Teams
11/23/2022 11:47:00β―AM | Field Hockey
EVANSTON, Ill. β Eight Wildcats were named to National Field Hockey Coaches Association All-West Region teams, the NFHCA announced Tuesday. It's tied for the most selections in Northwestern history, matching the total from 1994, and it was the most in the country among all regions.Β
Bente Baekers, Kayla Blas, Lauren Wadas and Maddie Zimmer earned first-team recognition. Peyton Halsey, Alia Marshall, Ana Medina Garcia and Annabel Skubisz earned second-team honors.
Baekers ranked second in the nation with 25 goals and 58 points this year. She has now been selected to the NFHCAΒ All-West First Team in four consecutive years, the first Wildcat to do so since Chelsea Armstrong earned the honors every year from 2009-12. She started the season with a bang, matching the program record for goals in a game with four in the season opener, then proceeded to score in each of Northwestern's first seven games. Also ending the year hot, Baekers scored in three straight NCAA Tournament games to help the Wildcats to a second straight national championship appearance.
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Blas, the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, put together her most dominant season in her final year with the Wildcats. She recorded a teamΒ and career-high 17 assists, the most by a Wildcat since 2017, while also scoring the game-winning goal in the national championship rematch with Liberty. Tuesday's announcement marked the third straight year Blas earned All-West First Team honors, and the fourth straight year with All-West recognition, landing on the second team in 2019.
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WadasΒ played a pivotal role for the Wildcats all over the field in 2022, tallying six goals and three assists while also leading the team in defensive saves. At her best when it mattered most, Wadas earned selection to both the Big Ten All-Tournament Team and NCAA All-Tournament Team. Perhaps her most iconic moment of the season came on Senior Day against then-No. 6 Michigan when she scored the game-winning goal with 37 seconds left in double overtime. This is the first time Wadas has won All-West honors.
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Zimmer, a two-time All-American, dazzled again in 2022 with her world-class speed and ball handling abilities. Her selection to the All-West First Team marked her third straight season doing so, earning the honors every year she has been a Wildcat. Zimmer scored two goals and recorded an assist this year, and played a crucial role in Northwestern's transition and counter attacks, capable of forcing a turnover and taking it the length of the field at any moment.
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Halsey, one of two captains on the team alongside Blas, broke out as a senior with 13 goals and four assists, both career highs. Her selection the the All-West Second Team marked the first All-Region honors of her career. Halsey put together one of the all-time greatest performances by a Wildcat against then-No. 6 Penn State in September when she scored a hat trick with all goals coming after the 50th minute to erase a two-goal deficit and walk-off off the Nittany Lions.Β
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Marshall assumed full-time inserter duties onΒ penalty corners, an important job in one of the nation's top corner units. She tallied a career-high 13 assists, including four in the postseason, to secure her first-ever All-West honors as a senior. Marshall also won a spot on the Big Ten All-Tournament Team for her contributions to Northwestern's run to the conference championship game earlier this month.Β
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Medina Garcia was one of the most quietly dominant and versatile players in the country this season, starting the season at center forward before taking over the starting center back position following Maja Zivojnoic's injury in September. The Madrid, Spain native scored six goals, including the overtime walk-off goal against then No. 21-Ohio State, and recorded four assists. Her four game-winners were tied with Baekers for the most on the team. This is the first time Medina Garcia has won All-West honors.Β
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Skubisz was again rock solid in goal for Northwestern as a junior, totaling 111 saves, the most in a season by a Wildcat since 2008. She tied a career best with five shutouts, including three straight against top-20 opponents to open the month of September. SkubiszΒ won back-to-back penalty shootouts in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament to help fuel Northwestern's campaign back to the national championship game. She has now been named to the All-West Second Team twice in her career, previously winning the honors in the 2021 spring season.
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Bente Baekers, Kayla Blas, Lauren Wadas and Maddie Zimmer earned first-team recognition. Peyton Halsey, Alia Marshall, Ana Medina Garcia and Annabel Skubisz earned second-team honors.
Baekers ranked second in the nation with 25 goals and 58 points this year. She has now been selected to the NFHCAΒ All-West First Team in four consecutive years, the first Wildcat to do so since Chelsea Armstrong earned the honors every year from 2009-12. She started the season with a bang, matching the program record for goals in a game with four in the season opener, then proceeded to score in each of Northwestern's first seven games. Also ending the year hot, Baekers scored in three straight NCAA Tournament games to help the Wildcats to a second straight national championship appearance.
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BAEKERS. SHOT. YES!!!
β Northwestern Field Hockey (@NUFHCats) November 18, 2022
Northwestern grabs the 1-0 lead in the fourth!!! pic.twitter.com/ve4sWsfH4i
Blas, the Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, put together her most dominant season in her final year with the Wildcats. She recorded a teamΒ and career-high 17 assists, the most by a Wildcat since 2017, while also scoring the game-winning goal in the national championship rematch with Liberty. Tuesday's announcement marked the third straight year Blas earned All-West First Team honors, and the fourth straight year with All-West recognition, landing on the second team in 2019.
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That's our Defensive Player of the Year going ???????????????????? ?????#B1GCats | #NUFH pic.twitter.com/rP2imXAwPk
β Northwestern Field Hockey (@NUFHCats) November 3, 2022
WadasΒ played a pivotal role for the Wildcats all over the field in 2022, tallying six goals and three assists while also leading the team in defensive saves. At her best when it mattered most, Wadas earned selection to both the Big Ten All-Tournament Team and NCAA All-Tournament Team. Perhaps her most iconic moment of the season came on Senior Day against then-No. 6 Michigan when she scored the game-winning goal with 37 seconds left in double overtime. This is the first time Wadas has won All-West honors.
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70TH MINUTE MAGIC!!!! ??
β Northwestern Field Hockey (@NUFHCats) October 21, 2022
LAUREN WADAS WALK-OFF WINNER!!!! pic.twitter.com/bWvOl6jVnv
Zimmer, a two-time All-American, dazzled again in 2022 with her world-class speed and ball handling abilities. Her selection to the All-West First Team marked her third straight season doing so, earning the honors every year she has been a Wildcat. Zimmer scored two goals and recorded an assist this year, and played a crucial role in Northwestern's transition and counter attacks, capable of forcing a turnover and taking it the length of the field at any moment.
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Wow wow wow!!!! ??
β Northwestern Field Hockey (@NUFHCats) September 16, 2022
Maddie Zimmer goes midfield to goal for her second goal of the season in the first half.#B1GCats | #NUFH pic.twitter.com/MwMRfbxJiu
Halsey, one of two captains on the team alongside Blas, broke out as a senior with 13 goals and four assists, both career highs. Her selection the the All-West Second Team marked the first All-Region honors of her career. Halsey put together one of the all-time greatest performances by a Wildcat against then-No. 6 Penn State in September when she scored a hat trick with all goals coming after the 50th minute to erase a two-goal deficit and walk-off off the Nittany Lions.Β
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PEYTON. HALSEY. HAVE. A. DAY ?? pic.twitter.com/ItKjZ4HVkO
β Northwestern Field Hockey (@NUFHCats) September 30, 2022
Marshall assumed full-time inserter duties onΒ penalty corners, an important job in one of the nation's top corner units. She tallied a career-high 13 assists, including four in the postseason, to secure her first-ever All-West honors as a senior. Marshall also won a spot on the Big Ten All-Tournament Team for her contributions to Northwestern's run to the conference championship game earlier this month.Β
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Alia Marshall. Stone. Cold. Killer. ??#B1GCats | #CelebrateVictory pic.twitter.com/aapqHnntNE
β Northwestern Field Hockey (@NUFHCats) September 18, 2022
Medina Garcia was one of the most quietly dominant and versatile players in the country this season, starting the season at center forward before taking over the starting center back position following Maja Zivojnoic's injury in September. The Madrid, Spain native scored six goals, including the overtime walk-off goal against then No. 21-Ohio State, and recorded four assists. Her four game-winners were tied with Baekers for the most on the team. This is the first time Medina Garcia has won All-West honors.Β
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ANA MEDINA GARCIA GOT THAT DOG IN HER ??#B1GCats | #CelebrateVictory pic.twitter.com/qXeGmugO7j
β Northwestern Field Hockey (@NUFHCats) October 16, 2022
Skubisz was again rock solid in goal for Northwestern as a junior, totaling 111 saves, the most in a season by a Wildcat since 2008. She tied a career best with five shutouts, including three straight against top-20 opponents to open the month of September. SkubiszΒ won back-to-back penalty shootouts in the first two rounds of the NCAA Tournament to help fuel Northwestern's campaign back to the national championship game. She has now been named to the All-West Second Team twice in her career, previously winning the honors in the 2021 spring season.
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SCOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOB!!!!!!! pic.twitter.com/DrbBHZnXlL
β Northwestern Field Hockey (@NUFHCats) November 20, 2022
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