PISCATAWAY, N.J. – Rutgers field hockey was well recognized as the NFHCA put out its all-region teams on Wednesday. The Scarlet Knights had a program record six All-Region selections.
Iris Langejans,
Puck Winter and
Guillermina Causarano were named Mid-Atlantic Region First Team.
Ava Cickavage,
Sophia Howard and
Paulina Niklaus were named to the Mid-Atlantic Region's Second Team.
Five of the six honorees also earned all-league honors from the Big Ten as well (Langejans, Winter, Causarano, Cickavage, Howard). Langejans, Winter and Causarano all earn All-Region awards for the second straight season, while Cickavage, Howard and Niklaus pick up the accolade for the first time in their career.
Langejans was previously named the Big Ten Player of the Year and was a unanimous selection to the Big Ten's First Team. The native of Almelo, Netherlands impacted the game at all levels this season, starting all 20 games at back, where she helped RU allow just 1.4 goals per game. She added one goal and six assists this season, and the redshirt senior has five goals and 15 assists in her 61 game Rutgers career. She was also selected for the NFHCA's Senior Game.
Winter, a First Team All-Big Ten selection, had 12 defensive saves on the season, tying for the nation's lead with Holy Cross' Haley Davis. The native of Deventer in The Netherlands also scored eight goals, second on the team. A redshirt sophomore who was Big Ten Co-Freshman of the Year last season, Winter is a two-time Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week and was the NFHCA National Defensive Player of the Week following the team's wins over No. 9 Ohio State and Michigan State.
Causarano, a First Team All-Big Ten Selection, led the team with 12 goals, eight assists and 32 points, and a team-best four game-winning goals. The Salta, Argentina native was fourth in the Big Ten in both goals per game and points per game, while also placing among the top-10 in the league in assists. The junior had a breakout season offensively, surpassing her previous career-highs in all categories, and was twice named Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week. The team captain was also named NFHCA National Offensive Player of the Week following a hat trick against UMass, RU's first national offensive award recognition since 2019. For her career she now has 16 goals and 12 assists in 61 games.
Cickavage has made an immediate impact in her first season 'On the Banks', as she was a Second Team All-Big Ten selection, along with the all-region accolades. The Moorestown, N.J. native started 19 games at center midfield. She was also a Big Ten Preseason Player to Watch and member of the NFHCA Collegiate Watch List.
Niklaus, previously named Second Team All-Big Ten and Second Team All-Region, played and started in 17 games during her first collegiate season. The Manheim, Germany native has played between defensive midfield and back, helping stabilize the RU backline. Offensively, she scored three goals and four assists for 10 points on the season. She came on strong offensively down the stretch, with three goals in her final five games.
Howard played every second in the cage this season, a total of 1300 minutes and 51 seconds. The redshirt junior from Auckland, New Zealand made 82 saves, with six shutouts, holding a 1.25 goals-against-average and a .752 save percentage.
With Howard's recognition following Gianna Glatz, a four-time All-Region selection, Rutgers has had an All-Region goalkeeper in five of the past six seasons. Rutgers has also had at least three First Team All-Region players in five of the past six seasons.
