Deacon Decade: Field Hockey
12/18/2009 12:00:00 AM | Field Hockey
Dec. 18, 2009
10. November 17, 2000 - First NCAA Semifinals appearance "It's our first year (in the final four), but we've been building for nine years. Our appetite is as great as any other team here. Each year we focus on how much we've built and we move forward a little more," was the statement head coach Jennifer Averill made in the pre-match press conference. The semifinals appearance kicked off a decade of spectacular achievement by the Demon Deacons.
9. July, 2009 - Jen Averill Receives Hall of Fame Nod During the summer, head coach Jennifer Averill was selected to be inducted into the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Hall of Fame. The honor showcases a lifetime of dedication to the betterment of the sport from Averill, including the dramatic rise of Wake Forest program through the past decade.
8. Summer 2008 - Two Deacons Represent at Olympics Former Wake Forest field hockey athletes Kelly Doton and Lauren Crandall were two of 16 elite players selected for the U.S. Olympic Team to play in Beijing the Summer of 2008. The selections showcased the quality program and the high caliber athletes that went through the Wake Forest program.
7. December 10, 2003 - Kelly Doton Becomes First Deacon to Earn National Player of the Year Honors Kelly Doton made Wake Forest history when she became the first Demon Deacon to earn National Player of the Year recognition. She was a three-time All American (second team in 2001) and is the first Wake Forest player to make three All America teams. Doton was also a two-time ACC Player of the Year, becoming the first Wake female and fifth athlete at the school to win two awards (2002-03). In addition, she was the 2003 ACC Tournament MVP, was selected to four NCAA All- Tournament Teams was the first Division I player to be named four straight years.
6. December 7, 2004 - Kelly Dostal Receives Honda Award In her four years at Wake Forest, Kelly Dostal led the Deacons to a combined record of 78-10, four straight "final four" appearances, the first two regular season ACC titles and first two ACC Tournament titles in school history and to three straight national titles.
Dostal tallied 84 goals in her 84 game career at Wake Forest including a school record 30 for her senior season. She set new records in single-season shots (173), goals (30), goals in a career (84), single-season point (79) and points in a career (204).
Not since the 1997-98 season had one school offered back-to-back winners and it had only happened five times since the player of the year award was first given for the 1976-77 season.
5. November 23, 2003 - 2003 National Championship In front of 2,320 fans, the #1 Wake Forest field hockey team battled #2 Duke University in the 2003 NCAA Championship game. The Deacs clinched the National Title for the second year in a row, defeating Duke, 3-1, in Amherst, Massachusetts.
4. November 24, 2002 - 2002 National Championship The Wake Forest field hockey team etched its name into the record books on November 24, defeating Penn State by a 2-0 score to win the 2002 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship at the University of Louisville's Trager Stadium. The Demon Deacons became the first Wake Forest team to win a national championship since men's golf in 1986 and are the first women's team in school history to accomplish such a feat. In addition, the Deacs went through all four rounds of the Championship without giving up a single goal, an achievement matched only by Old Dominion in 1992.
3. November 1, 2006 - Maria Whitehead Passes The Wake Forest field hockey team and the entire Demon Deacon athletic community lost a member of its family on Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2006 with the passing of former field hockey standout Maria Whitehead. Whitehead, 25,lost a battle with cancer. Whitehead, who was an assistant coach at Duke, was a standout player for the Demon Deacons from 1998-2002. In her time at Wake Forest, she earned NFHCA All-Region status in 2000 and was twice recognized as an All-ACC player. Whitehead was an instrumental part of the Deacs' first national championship and was named to the NCAA All-Tournament team. In addition, Whitehead was a stellar student, earning a spot on the Wake Forest Dean's List for three of her four years. Whitehead's courageous fight with cancer will forever be a source of inspiration for the Wake Forest field hockey team.
2. November 5, 2006 - 2006 ACC Championship The Demon Deacons posted their third ACC Championship win of the decade on November 5, 2000. Wake Forest upset top-seed Maryland 1-0 in Chapel Hill, with Michelle Kasold scoring the golden goal. The team was playing for more than just hardware, however. Just four days before the Deacons received the tragic news of Maria Whitehead's passing and her memory was a source of inspiration throughout the tournament.
1. November 21, 2004 - 2004 National Championship The Wake Forest field hockey team captured a third straight National Championship, beating Duke, 3-0 in Kentner Stadium on Sunday. Tamar Meijer scored two goals and Kelly Wood added another as the Deacons finished the 2004 season with a 20-3 record. Field hockey is the only female sport at Wake Forest to have won a national championship and the only of all the sports to win three in a row. With this win the Deacons solidified their status as a national powerhouse.
