Four named Scholars of Distinction; team honored as well

NFHCA National Academic Squad
NFHCA Scholars of Distinction
NFHCA National Academic Team Award 

RINDGE, N.H. (April 10, 2014) – Sophomore forward Chelsey Burnell (West Baldwin, Maine), freshman back Morgan Caisse (Westminster, Mass.), freshman forward Francesca Cartee (Rindge, N.H.), freshman forward Rachel Deneault (Holden, Mass.), freshman midfielder Andrea Fahey (Hudson, Mass.), senior midfielder Alesia Gleason (Harwich, Mass.), freshman back Shannon O'Leary (Florence, Mass.), freshman back Emily Standring (Worcester, Mass.), sophomore midfielder Erin Wood (Dover, N.Y.) and freshman goalkeeper Amy Zahensky (Bow, N.H.) of the Franklin Pierce University field hockey team have all been named to the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division II National Academic Squad, as announced earlier this spring by the NFHCA.

To be eligible for selection, a student-athlete must have posted a cumulative grade-point average of 3.30 or higher through the fall semester. In addition, Caisse, Cartee, Deneault and Wood were named as Scholars of Distinction by the NFHCA. This is the second year of the Scholars of Distinction program, which recognizes student-athletes carrying GPAs of 3.90 or higher. Franklin Pierce has had five Scholar of Distinction selections over the two seasons the NFHCA has recognized them.

Further, Franklin Pierce was among 22 teams selected as recipients of the NFHCA Division II National Academic Team Award. To receive the award, teams were required to post a 3.0 grade-point average or higher during the fall semester. Franklin Pierce returns to the list of National Academic Team Award honorees after missing out in 2012. The Ravens have now earned the accolade as a team five of the last six seasons.

The 10 individual selections to the National Academic Squad matched the program's high-water mark, as 10 Ravens were also honored after the 2003 season. It is the highest total under head coach Meighan Guiney-Allison, whose teams had nine players honored after both the 2008 and 2010 seasons.

Franklin Pierce has now had 99 selections to the NFHCA National Academic Squad, all since 2000, an average of 7.07 student-athletes per season over the last 14 years. Burnell and Gleason each earned their second career selections to the National Academic Squad, as both were also honored a year ago. The remaining eight selections were all first-time honorees for the Ravens, who have now had 50 different players honored under the National Academic Squad program.

Burnell, who carries a 3.89 grade-point average as a graphic communications major, saw increased time up front for the Ravens in 2013, as she made seven starts while playing in 17 games. She finished third on the team in shot attempts (23) and tallied six points on two goals and two assists. Burnell dished out the first assist of her career on Oct. 17 at Southern Connecticut State.

Caisse, who posted a 4.00 GPA in her first semester, played in eight games as a backline reserve for Franklin Pierce. Her collegiate debut came in the season opener against Dowling on Sept. 7.

Cartee also had a 4.00 grade-point average in her first semester and played in seven games as a reserve up front. She picked up one point along the way, as she tallied the first assist of her career on Oct. 17 at Southern Connecticut State.

Deneault notched a 3.95 GPA in her first semester on campus as an accounting/finance major and started eight games up front for the Ravens. She scored once in her debut season, as she found the back of the cage for the first time in her collegiate career on Sept. 19 against Saint Michael's.

Fahey put together a 3.40 grade-point average in the fall and played in all 18 games for the Ravens, including 15 starts in the midfield. She earned the start for her collegiate debut on Sept. 7 against Dowling and finished the season with eight shot attempts, including four on goal.

Gleason, who carries a 3.32 GPA as a graphic communications major, moved into an offensive role while starting all 18 games in the midfield as a co-captain during her final collegiate campaign. She finished the season as the team's leader in shot attempts (46), while tying for the team lead in assists (4). She also ranked second on the team in goals (5), points (14) and shots on goal (26). Gleason played largely in a defensive role for the Ravens through her first three seasons in Rindge and was finally able to notch her first career goal on a penalty stroke against Assumption on Sept. 14. Later in the season, she had a five-point game on two goals and an assist at Southern Connecticut State on Oct. 17. She was the first Raven to notch five points in a game in nearly two calendar years.

O'Leary, who posted a 3.67 GPA in the fall, played in all 18 games, including 17 starts, for the Ravens and split time between the midfield and the backline. She finished the season with four points on a goal and two assists and served as one of two primary injectors for Franklin Pierce on penalty corners. O'Leary put her first career goal into the cage on Oct. 5 at Adelphi.

Wood, who owns a 3.92 grade-point average, saw time both in the field and in front of the cage in 2013. She played in the field in seven games, primarily in the midfield and scored her first career goal in the season opener against Dowling on Sept. 7. She also made five appearances as a goalkeeper, including four starts, posting a 1-2 record, a 3.52 goals-against average and a .639 save percentage. Wood made five saves against eight shots on goal in her goalkeeping debut to pick up her first career win at Southern Connecticut State on Oct. 17.

Zahensky, who posted a 3.67 GPA in her first semester as a marketing major, served as Franklin Pierce's primary goalkeeper in 2013. She appeared in 15 games in front of the cage, including 14 starts and finished with a 2-12 record, a 3.82 goals-against average and a .627 save percentage. She started in her collegiate debut, but faced only one shot on goal while picking up her first career win against Dowling on Sept. 7. Later in the season, Zahensky made four saves to pick up a win against Southern Connecticut State on Nov. 2. She posted three outings of double-digit saves in her freshman campaign, led by a 16-save outing against eventual national runner-up LIU Post, which peppered Zahensky's cage with 20 shots.

Standring posted a 3.40 GPA, but did not see the field in 2013.

For more information on Franklin Pierce Athletics, please visit the official website of Franklin Pierce Athletics (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu). Also be sure to follow the Ravens through the Department of Athletics' official Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/FranklinPierceRavens), its YouTube channel (http://www.youtube.com/franklinpiercesports) and its Twitter feed (http://twitter.com/FPUathletics). Fans wishing to purchase Franklin Pierce field hockey apparel can do so at the Department of Athletics' brand new online store (http://athletics.franklinpierce.edu/store).