ANNVILLE, Pa. (November 9, 2022)  – Fifth-year Emily Franco, senior Lynda Farinella and sophomore Emily Smart of the Stevens Institute of Technology field hockey team were each named First Team All-MAC Freedom, the league office announced Wednesday as part of its season-end awards announcement.

Farinella, a second-team honoree as a junior, earned her way onto her second all-conference team, while Smart collected the accolade for the first time. Franco, who is now a two-time first-team, and a two-time second-team selection, becomes just the third player in program history to receive four all-conference honors.

"I am extremely proud of our three student-athletes making the First Team during a very competitive year for the MAC Freedom," head coach Meredith Spencer-Blaetz said. "All three are incredibly hard working, focused, and well-rounded players and it's a great honor that the other coaches recognized that as well. I feel truly lucky to have the opportunity to coach them."

Farinella collected her second career all-conference selection after tying for the team lead with 21 points. The South Plainfield, New Jersey native set career highs in both goals (7) and assists (7) to tie for ninth in the MAC Freedom with 1.11 points per game. She had four multi-point games and set a career high with six points in a league win over Wilkes on Oct. 8. Additionally, four of Farinella's seven goals were game-winners.

"It is no surprise that Lynda made the jump to First Team this year after a second-team nod last year," Spencer-Blaetz shared. "She moved back to a midfield position this year and is truly one of the most balanced players in the conference. She is equally talented offensively and defensively and it's difficult to mark her out of a game since she makes her presence known."

Over her five seasons on Castle Point, Franco has appeared in 76 career games, including 75 starts. The West Chester, Pennsylvania made 364 saves across 4,527 career minutes and her 1.50 career goals-against average ranks third in program history, as does her .763 career save percentage. This season, Franco posted an 11-7 record and became the program's career leading in wins with an overtime victory over Union in the regular-season finale. Franco totaled exactly 100 saves this season and had one shutout, while ranking fourth in goals-against average (1.756) and third with a .763 save percentage. 

"Franco is now a four-time all conference selection and for her to earn first-team recognition is a great way for her to cap off her career," Spencer-Blaetz reflected. "She stepped up this year with a young team and her drive and competitiveness allowed her to continue growing as a player, even in her last year."
 
Smart earned her first career all-conference nod after tying for the team lead in points (21), finishing second in both goals (8) and assists (5). Nearly 65% of her shots were on target and nearly half of her points came against conference opponents. The Haddonfield, New Jersey native had a pair of multi-goal games and collected two game-winners. Smart capped her second season in Hoboken by tying for 11th in the MAC Freedom with 1.05 points per game with teammate Gabi Moroney.

"Smart's first recognition from the conference signifies the bright future that she has with this program," Spencer-Blaetz said. "Her competitiveness is unmatched and she can always be counted on to create opportunities for herself or her teammates in the heat of the moment. She is the definition of fierce and she brings up the level of our program every time she sets foot on the field."

DeSales claimed three of the four individual awards with Tyra Wingle earning Offensive Player of the Year honors, while Catie McGrath was named Defensive Player of the Year and Lindsay Goeller was tabbed Coach of the Year. Lycoming's Isabella Bobe was named Rookie of the Year to wrap up the season-end accolades.

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