Friday, Nov 19, 2010
A junior forward, Egusquiza’s name will now appear on the national All-America ballot.
by Brian Solomon
Rider field hockey player Virginia Egusquiza, of Getxo, Spain, was named a First Team Longstreth/NFHCA Mid-Atlantic All-Region All-America honoree by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association on Thursday, November 18.
Egusquiza’s name will now appear on the national All-America ballot.
A junior forward, Egusquiza was the Northeast Conference (NEC) Player of the Year for the second season in a row after earning the NEC Rookie of the Year award in 2008.
“This is a great honor for Virginia and our program,” said head coach Lori Hussong. “This is a great accomplishment and great reward for her hard work and dedication that she has put into our program.”
Egusquiza, who was a Second Team All-Region honoree last season, led Rider (16-4 overall record, 7-0 NEC) to the Northeast Conference regular season title and the 2010 NEC tournament championship, where she earned tournament Most Valuable Player honors as the Broncs advanced to the NCAA-Play In game at Albany.
A team captain, Egusquiza led the Broncs in assists, and ranked fourth in the nation, with a Rider-record 22, and was 13th in points per game. The Business major had points in 17 of 20 games this past season and finished with 11 goals and 44 points.
Egusquiza’s 100 career points is seventh best all-time at Rider and her 44 career assists are already a Rider record. She has one year of eligibility remaining.
Final Four participant Maryland (21-1) placed five players on the Mid-Atlantic All-Region First Team.
Egusquiza is the second Bronc to earn First Team honors from the NFHCA ,with Christina Ang earning the recognition after the 2004 season.
Rider went undefeated in NEC play for the second year in a row and has won five NEC Regular Season titles, in 2001, 2003, 2005, 2009 and 2010, all under Hussong.
“It is truly great for our program and for Rider University that Virginia has been recognized as one of the best players in the country,” Hussong added. “She has helped raise the level of our play and I’m appreciative that other coaches around the nation have recognized her contributions.”
Hussong, who has 150 wins, has led the Broncs to 11 straight NEC tournament appearances, winning the NEC championship and advancing to the NCAA Play-In game in 2000, 2002, 2004 and 2010.