ESU Academic Awards page

EAST STROUDSBURG - East Stroudsburg University senior field hockey All-America Sydney McCarthy has been named to the CoSIDA Academic All-America first team in the women's at-large division for the 2017-18 academic year, it was released Wednesday.

McCarthy (Reading, Pa./Muhlenberg) received numerous student-athlete accolades during her career at ESU, including being named the NCAA Division II field hockey selection for the Honda Collegiate Woman of the Year in December, and the NFHCA DII National Scholar Athlete in April as the NFHCA DII All-America first or second team selection who maintained the highest cumulative grade-point average through the fall 2017 semester.

McCarthy, who graduated as an Exercise Science major with a 4.0 GPA, was also twice honored as the NCAA DII Elite 90 Award recipient for field hockey as the student-athlete with the top GPA at the championship site (2015, 2017), and the PSAC Champion Scholar with the same criteria (2016, 2017).

She is the sixth ESU field hockey player named Academic All-America and the third to be named to the first team, joining Michelle Knapik in 1987 and Katie Horst, a three-time selection who was first team in 1998 and 1999.

Other ESU field hockey Academic All-America are Ally Roth in 2016, and Danielle Ard and Emily Howell in 2017.

McCarthy is the second ESU student-athlete named Academic All-America this year, joining football offensive lineman Devon Ackerman, the first three-time first team selection in school history.

On the field, McCarthy was named to the NFHCA All-America first team, earned PSAC Defensive Athlete of the Year and Synapse Sports DII Defensive Athlete of the Year. She was named All-PSAC first team at back after claiming a second team spot in the midfield as a junior.

She had 10 goals and 11 assists for a team-high 31 points as a senior while anchoring ESU's defense at center back, leading the Warriors (17-5) to a 66-23 goal differential. ESU held 15 of 22 opponents to one goal or less while posting 10 shutouts.

McCarthy helped lead ESU to its third straight NCAA DII Tournament and a spot in the national semifinals for the second time in three years. She was a starter on the Warriors' 2015 PSAC and NCAA DII championship teams, which won both titles for the first time in program history.

She started 64 games over the last three seasons, with ESU going 51-13 in her 64 starts and allowing just 56 goals. McCarthy contributed 17 goals and 18 assists in that span offensively.

McCarthy is one of four PSAC student-athletes named Academic All-America on the women's at-large team along with Mercyhurst tennis player Saioa Gomez de Segura (first team), Gannon swimmer Samantha Favret (second team) and Kutztown field hockey player Courtney Konowal (second team).


About the Academic All-District and Academic All-America program
 
ESU is tied for second in the PSAC with 110 Academic All-District selections in the last 11 years (since 2007-08).

ESU's seven recipients in 2017-18 were: McCarthy, Devon Ackerman and Mike Wiand (football), James McMahon (men's soccer), Alex Pickett (women's soccer), Mary Wallick (softball) and Tom Ciaccio (men's cross country/track & field).

Including this year, 103 ESU student-athletes have combined for 151 Academic All-District selections.

McCarthy is the 47th ESU student-athlete named Academic All-America, combining for 67 awards, including 31 combining for 44 selections in the last 10 years.