The National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) named the Longstreth/NFHCA Regional Players of the Year on Wednesday and for the second straight year, a University of Rochester player took home some hardware.
 
Senior midfielder Sayaka Abe was selected as the North Atlantic Regional Player of the Year, becoming only the second UR field hockey player to ever earn regional POY honors.  She joins goalkeeper Tara Lamberti, the 2015 Regional Player of the Year, as the only Yellowjackets to earn the distinction.
 
2016 was a banner season for Abe and the Yellowjackets.  Overall, Rochester posted an 18-5 record and was nationally ranked for the entire season.  UR also reached the NCAA Division III Tournament for the second straight year, the first time that has been done by a UR field hockey team.  Rochester won its first round NCAA game before dropping in the Sweet 16 to Middlebury.
 
Individually, Abe scored two goals and added 18 assists for 22 points this year.  The 18 assists set a new Rochester single season record and ranked her second in NCAA Division III in that category.  She also was fourth in assists per game (0.78/gm) in the country and finished her career with 43 points, including 27 assists which ranks tied for third most in school history.  She also is 3rd at UR in games played (84) and minutes played (5,343).
 
Abe was selected as the Liberty League Defensive Player of the Year and was a 1st Team All-Conference selection this season, her third straight Liberty League award.  She also was named All-Region for the second straight year, garnering 1st Team accolades this season after being named to the 2nd Team in 2015.

The other five regional Players of the Year in Division III were Kenyon's Sarah Speroff (Great Lakes), Babson's Ashley Tango (New England East), Trinity's Kelcie Finn (New England West), TCNJ's Lexi Smith (South Atlantic), and Muhlenberg's Rachel Strow (South).