Ellis becomes the fifth Raven to earn the national honor in four consecutive seasons

RINDGE, N.H. (February 25, 2008) - Four Franklin Pierce University field hockey players received recognition by the  National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) on Monday for their academic success. Senior Elizabeth Ellis (Turner, Maine/Leavitt), junior Jennifer Provencher (Rye, N.H./Portsmouth), sophomore Samantha Newman (Belgrade, Maine/Messalonskee) and freshman Tevis Hannington (Canton, Mass./Notre Dame Academy) were each named to the ZAG/NFHCA Div. II National Academic Squad.

The four selections mark the eighth consecutive season that the Ravens have put at least one player on the team. To be eligible for the Academic Squad, student-athletes must achieve a minimum cumulative grade point average of 3.30 through the first semester of the 2007-08 academic year.

Ellis, who has achieved 3.87 cumulative GPA as a marketing major at Franklin Pierce, is only the fifth Raven to earn a spot on the Academic Squad in four consecutive seasons. The senior captain recorded a team-high 3.94 GPA last semester and became the program's first three-time selection to the Northeast-10 Conference All-Academic first team in November. On the field, the four-year letterwinner set a program record by playing in 72 career matches, scoring one goal and adding four assists for six career points, and was selected to play in the NFHCA Div. II Senior All-Star Game in November.

Provencher, an environmental science major, earns a spot on the squad for the third consecutive year after achieving a 3.43 cumulative GPA. The junior also was an NE-10 All-Academic second-team pick in the spring as a member of the women's lacrosse team. The Rye, N.H., native played in 13 matches last season with three starts, scoring one goal against C.W. Post on Sept. 15. In three seasons, Provencher has scored three goals in 46 career games.

Newman was named to the Academic Squad for the second consecutive season with a 3.93 GPA last semester and a cumulative GPA of 3.73. A psychology major at Franklin Pierce, Newman started on defense in all 19 matches in 2007, and has started all 36 games in which she has participated over two seasons at Franklin Pierce.

Hannington earns her first Academic Squad selection after recording a 3.32 GPA in her first semester at Franklin Pierce. The netminder started a team-high 13 games in goal in 2007, posting a 3.30 goals against average and a .564 save percentage. She earned her first collegiate win by making three saves in a 3-0 shutout of Saint Anselm College on Oct. 4.

The Franklin Pierce field hockey team, led by second-year head coach Meighan Guiney, finished the 2007 season with a 1-18 record, including a 1-15 mark in the competitive Northeast-10 Conference. The Ravens lost 10 games by one goal and five in overtime, while eight of the Ravens' matches came against teams ranked in the top 10 of the final STX/NFHCA Div. II National Coaches Poll of 2007.