Averill Named ACC Coach of the Year; Five Deacs Earn All-ACC Honors
10/31/2022 4:00:00 PM | Field Hockey
Coach Averill was named ACC Coach of the Year for the eighth time of her career. Sky Caron and Meike Lanckohr were named to the first team, while Grace Delmotte, Nat Friedman and Ellie Todd earned second team honors.
GREENSBORO, N.C. – After a 14-4 regular season and a 5-1 mark in conference play resulting in the No. 2 seed in the conference championship, Wake Forest field hockey was well represented on the Atlantic Coast Conference postseason awards list, as announced by the league on Monday evening.
Head coach Jennifer Averill earned her eighth career ACC Coach of the Year award. Averill has also taken home the prestigious honor in 1999, 2002, 2003, 2005, 2006, 2008 and 2014.
🏆 ACC Coach of the Year 🏆 pic.twitter.com/pB3hO590d2
— Wake Forest Hockey (@WakeHockey) October 31, 2022
Sky Caron and Meike Lanckohr headlined Wake Forest's All-ACC honorees, landing on the first team. Grace Delmotte, Nat Friedman and Ellie Todd rounded out award winners as the trio received second team honors.
This marks Lanckohr and Friedman's third-straight All-ACC honor, while Caron (2019 at Boston College) and Delmotte (2020-212) have previously received recognition from the league. Todd is one of seven freshmen in the conference to earn the first All-ACC honor of their careers.
Wake Forest and North Carolina each placed five honorees on the all-league teams, the most in the ACC.
🏆 All-ACC 🏆
— Wake Forest Hockey (@WakeHockey) October 31, 2022
Our 5️⃣ honorees are tied for the most in the league!#GoDeacs 🎩 pic.twitter.com/5LsDFrQOIW
The second-seeded Wake Forest field hockey team opens postseason play against the seventh-seeded Duke Blue Devils in the 2022 Atlantic Coast Conference Championship on Tuesday, Nov. 1 at 3:30 p.m. inside Jack Katz Stadium.
The winner of Wake Forest and Duke will hit the turf on Wednesday, Nov. 2 at 3:30 p.m. against the winner of the third-seeded Virginia and sixth-seeded Louisville on ACC Network.
The ACC Championship match is scheduled for Friday, Nov. 4 at 2 p.m.
All tournament action will be broadcasted on ACC Network.
Jennifer Averill, ACC Co-Coach of the Year
Coach Averill has led the 2022 Demon Deacons to a 14-4 overall record and a 5-1 mark in league play.
Averill secured her 400th win as the head coach of Wake Forest Field Hockey on Friday, Sept. 16 with the Deacs' 4-3 victory against Richmond. In 31 seasons at the helm of the program, Averill holds an overall record of 410-222-3 and an overall mark of 430-254-6 in 32 years of coaching.
The Demon Deacons' shutout victory in its regular season finale helped this year's squad become the first Wake Forest team since 2014 to win 14 matches in a season. Additionally, Wake Forest's five ACC wins are the most since 2015.
The Demon Deacons earned the No. 2 seed in the 2022 ACC Field Hockey Championship, its highest seeding since 2015 (also No. 2).
Additionally, the Demon Deacons head into the 2022 ACC tournament on a five-match win streak in conference play. Overall, Wake Forest has outscored league foes 14-4 this season, highlighted by four shutouts against nationally-ranked Duke, Louisville, Virginia and Syracuse.
In addition to its five conference victories, Wake Forest posted a 9-3 record against non-league opponents, outscoring them 34-16.
Wake Forest ended the regular season winners of 14 of its last 16 matches. During that span, the Demon Deacons outscored opponents 47-14.
The Deacs head into postseason play allowing less than two goals in its last 12 matches, dating back to its 1-0 shutout victory against Ohio State in Columbus on Sept. 18. Overall, the Deacs have held opponents to two goals or less in 16 matches this season.
At the conclusion of the regular season, the Demon Deacons led the league in penalty corners (127), goals off corners (17) and assists (52), while ranking second in shots and third in scoring.
Wake Forest has outscored opponents 18-2 in the first quarter this season and has found the back of the net first in all 14 of its victories.
Sky Caron, First Team All-ACC
Graduate defender Sky Caron has made an immediate impact in her first season in Winston-Salem, starting all 18 matches this season.
The 2022 team captain finished the regular season with eight goals (tied for second on team and eighth in the ACC) and five assists for 21 points (second on the squad).
Caron found the back of the net in eight matches this season, while dishing out an assist in five assists. In three matches, the Portsmouth, NH native tallied three points with a goal and an assist.
Meike Lanckohr, First Team All-ACC
Senior forward Meike Lanckohr earned her third-straight first team nod after posting team highs in goals (9) and assists (12) in 17 matches.
Lanckohr's career-high mark in assists also leads the conference. Additionally, the Voerendaal, Netherlands native ranks fourth in points and sixth in goals.
Lancokohr received the second conference player of the week nod of her career after leading the Deacs in a perfect 2-0 weekend on its West Coast road trip with a team-high 12 points, netting a team-high five goals and two assists.
Grace Delmotte, Second Team All-ACC
Junior midfielder Grace Delmotte has had a career year during her junior season, tallying five goals and 11 assists in 18 starts. Her 11 assists is a new career high and is tied for second in the ACC.
The Vancouver, Canada native dished out a career-high two assists in three separate matches, while finding the back of the net twice at Cal.
In total, Delmotte was credited with an assist in eight of 18 matches.
Nat Friedman, Second Team All-ACC
Senior midfielder Nat Friedman received All-ACC honors for the third-straight season as the Towson, Md. native appeared and started in all 18 matches in 2022.
Friedman produced five assists, highlighted by three in Wake Forest's final two regular season matches. In the Demon Deacons' final road game, Friedman produced a season-high two points after assisting on half of Wake Forest's goals.
Ellie Todd, Second Team All-ACC
Freshman goalkeeper Ellie Todd posted an overall record of 13-3, tallying 49 saves and pitching five shutouts.
Todd has been named the Atlantic Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Week twice this season for standout performances against Davidson, No. 7 Louisville and VCU as well No. 22 Duke.
Todd Boston, Mass. native became the first Demon Deacon to tally double-digit saves in a match since 2015 in her first career ACC match , registering a career-high 12 stops. Todd's denials are currently tied for the most saves in a single match this season across the ACC and ranks second in overall saves this season.
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