Three Wildcats Earn A-10 Field Hockey Honors
11/2/2023 6:24:00 PM | Field Hockey
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. — Three Davidson Wildcats have earned Atlantic 10 Conference field hockey postseason honors, the league announced Friday.
Sib Naaktgeboren led the way with a spot on the A-10 Second Team, while Abby Pompeo was named to the All-Academic Team and Matilda Collins earned All-Rookie Team honors.
It's the most league honorees since the 2020 (spring 2021) season, when four Wildcats were honored.
"This team took serious strides this year, and these awards are another affirmation of that growth," said coach Zoe Almquist, whose team won seven games for the first time since 2015. "I think Sib, Tilda and Abby perfectly represent what I cherish so much about Davidson field hockey. They are smart, kind and talented people. They are competitive and driven and are leading our team forward. I am honored by the opportunity to coach them, proud of the year they had and thrilled that they are Davidson wildcats."
A sophomore forward from Zwijndrecht, Netherlands, Naaktgeboren led the Wildcats with 19 points, scoring seven goals and assisting on five more. She ranked second in the A-10 with 50 shots, 35 shots-on-goal and 3.29 shots per game and was third with 2.06 shots-on-goal per game.
Naaktgeboren had two goals and one assist against La Salle on Sept. 29, then closed the season with nine points over the final six games. She's the seventh Wildcat in 10 A-10 seasons to be named to an all-conference team.
"Sib had such a breakout year," said Almquist. "After notching her first career goal in our season opener, she backed it up again and again with fantastic performances. Sib is the fastest and handiest player on the field and stays that way even though she hardly gets a sub. Her relentless and cheery attitude are bright spots for us every day."
Pompeo, a junior forward and economics major from Apex, led the Wildcats with eight goals as the first Davidson player to score eight since Katherine English and Anne Federico did it in 2016. Pompeo scored two goals against Queens (Sept. 1) and Lindenwood (Sept. 17), and she had a goal and assist in the season-ending win over Ohio.
Pompeo's selection gives the Wildcats an All-Academic pick in each of the last five seasons.
"Being a student at Davidson is hard, and being an athlete at Davidson is hard," said Almquist. "Being a student-athlete who is also a member of SAAC, our team's leadership council and is our leading scorer on the field, while absolutely killing it in the classroom, is simply awe-inspiring. Abby rises to the occasion every time and everywhere we ask her to. She is the embodiment of our department motto of 'athletics done right.'"
Collins had an immediate impact upon arrival at Davidson. A freshman back from Willingdon, England, Collins was key to the Wildcats' improved defensive unit and also contributed three goals and three assists to rank fifth on the team with nine points. She had a goal and assist in back-to-back games against Richmond and Lindenwood in mid-September and also scored against VCU.
"Tilda raised our team to a new level this year," said Almquist. "She became an immediate leader for us, holding us all to a higher standard and backing that up with stellar play in all parts of the game. Her corner defense, general ability to trap any ball and calm possession out of the backfield changed the way we play. I'm so proud of her rookie performance and can't wait to see where she takes us next."
For a look at the complete A-10 awards list, click here.
Sib Naaktgeboren led the way with a spot on the A-10 Second Team, while Abby Pompeo was named to the All-Academic Team and Matilda Collins earned All-Rookie Team honors.
It's the most league honorees since the 2020 (spring 2021) season, when four Wildcats were honored.
"This team took serious strides this year, and these awards are another affirmation of that growth," said coach Zoe Almquist, whose team won seven games for the first time since 2015. "I think Sib, Tilda and Abby perfectly represent what I cherish so much about Davidson field hockey. They are smart, kind and talented people. They are competitive and driven and are leading our team forward. I am honored by the opportunity to coach them, proud of the year they had and thrilled that they are Davidson wildcats."
A sophomore forward from Zwijndrecht, Netherlands, Naaktgeboren led the Wildcats with 19 points, scoring seven goals and assisting on five more. She ranked second in the A-10 with 50 shots, 35 shots-on-goal and 3.29 shots per game and was third with 2.06 shots-on-goal per game.
Naaktgeboren had two goals and one assist against La Salle on Sept. 29, then closed the season with nine points over the final six games. She's the seventh Wildcat in 10 A-10 seasons to be named to an all-conference team.
"Sib had such a breakout year," said Almquist. "After notching her first career goal in our season opener, she backed it up again and again with fantastic performances. Sib is the fastest and handiest player on the field and stays that way even though she hardly gets a sub. Her relentless and cheery attitude are bright spots for us every day."
Pompeo, a junior forward and economics major from Apex, led the Wildcats with eight goals as the first Davidson player to score eight since Katherine English and Anne Federico did it in 2016. Pompeo scored two goals against Queens (Sept. 1) and Lindenwood (Sept. 17), and she had a goal and assist in the season-ending win over Ohio.
Pompeo's selection gives the Wildcats an All-Academic pick in each of the last five seasons.
"Being a student at Davidson is hard, and being an athlete at Davidson is hard," said Almquist. "Being a student-athlete who is also a member of SAAC, our team's leadership council and is our leading scorer on the field, while absolutely killing it in the classroom, is simply awe-inspiring. Abby rises to the occasion every time and everywhere we ask her to. She is the embodiment of our department motto of 'athletics done right.'"
Collins had an immediate impact upon arrival at Davidson. A freshman back from Willingdon, England, Collins was key to the Wildcats' improved defensive unit and also contributed three goals and three assists to rank fifth on the team with nine points. She had a goal and assist in back-to-back games against Richmond and Lindenwood in mid-September and also scored against VCU.
"Tilda raised our team to a new level this year," said Almquist. "She became an immediate leader for us, holding us all to a higher standard and backing that up with stellar play in all parts of the game. Her corner defense, general ability to trap any ball and calm possession out of the backfield changed the way we play. I'm so proud of her rookie performance and can't wait to see where she takes us next."
For a look at the complete A-10 awards list, click here.
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