Photos Courtesy of Mark Campbell

CAPE COD, Mass. – Casey Howard and Michelle Drummonds have been named to the second-team All-Eastern College Athletic Conference squad for their efforts while leading the University of Delaware field hockey team to the Colonial Athletic Association championship and a berth in the NCAA Tournament.

During the season, Howard (top right) and Drummonds (bottom right) helped guide the team to a 14-6 record and its first conference title since 2004. Earlier this year, both standouts earned All-Conference and All-Region honors for their performances.

The All-ECAC teams are comprised of the top players from Division I universities ranging from Maine to North Carolina. The nation’s largest athletic conference, the ECAC represents over 300 colleges in the east.

Howard was an integral piece in the squad’s resurgence in 2009. She garnered first-team All-Region honors and was a second-team All-American selection while piecing together a record-setting senior season. She eventually finished the year having set new single-season program records with 22 goals and 51 points.

A two-time National Player of the Week selection, Howard also ended the year ranked second in the conference in goals and points. Her six game-winning goals also were the second-most in the CAA, while her seven assists were tied for seventh.

Overall, Howard capped her career ranked third all-time in program history with 51 goals. Her 115 career points are the third most at Delaware as well. Along with her single-season records, she also leaves UD with the single-game scoring record after posting five goals against Brown earlier this year.

Drummonds also helped rewrite the record books with her outstanding junior campaign. In 2009, the team’s standout back posted a league-high seven defensive saves. Her total not only set a new single-season record, but it also was one more than the entire team recorded during the previous four years combined.

While anchoring Delaware’s excellent defensive unit, Drummonds also made strong contributions on the offensive side of the ball. A starter in all 20 games, she recorded five points after posting two goals and an assist. In a 10-2 victory over Brown, she became the first Blue Hen in five years to notch a goal, assist, and defensive save in the same game.

In her career, Drummonds has appeared in 54 career games with 44 starts. A CAA All-Rookie selection in 2007, she has nine goals, eight defensive saves, and one assist during her three-year career.

Howard and Drummonds were two of five players honored by the ECAC from the CAA. James Madison’s Kelsey Cutchins and Drexel’s Christina Mastopaolo were both first-team selections, while the Dragon’s Susan Ciufo was a second-team pick.

Overall, Delaware was one of only five teams to have multiple honorees.

AGATE:

2009 ECAC Division I Field Hockey All-Stars:

Offensive Player of the Year: Loren Sherer, UConn
Defensive Player of the Year: Emma Thomas, Maryland
Rookie of the Year: Amy Kee, Syracuse

First-Team All-ECAC
Loren Sherer (UConn), Katie O’Donnell (Maryland), Christina Mastropaolo (Drexel), Chelsey Feole (Boston College), Katie Reinprecht (Princeton), Amy Kee (Syracuse), Alexis Pappas (Maryland), Emma Thomas (Maryland), Maggie Befort (Syracuse), Virginia Peisch (Dartmouth),

Second-Team All-ECAC
Nicole Muracco (Maryland), Meg Shea (New Hampshire), Susan Ciufo (Drexel), Casey Howard (Delaware), Martina Loncarica (Syracuse), Julie Reinprecht (Princeton), Inga Stockel (Virginia), Michelle Vittese (Virginia), Anne-Meike de Wiljes (American), Michelle Drummonds (Delaware), Kelsey Anderson (Lafayette).