BETHLEHEM, Pa. – The Lehigh field hockey team reflected on the 2017 season on Saturday, holding the program's annual awards banquet at the Asa Packer Dining Room in the University Center. Team awards were handed out while head coach Caitlin Dallmeyer recognized the Mountain Hawks' senior class of Jackie Renda, Laura Yuh, Julia Washburn and Alexis Arancio.
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For the second straight year, Renda was named the team's Athlete of the Year after earning second team All-Patriot League for a second consecutive season. In 2017, the Roseland, N.J. native played in 16 games (all starts) with three assists. All of Renda's assists came in victories - over Lafayette, Georgetown and at Colgate. She assisted on the overtime game-winner vs. Lafayette to give Lehigh its first win over the Leopards since 2005, and assisted on the game's only goal vs. Colgate. Renda also played an integral role in Lehigh's defensive efforts.
 Paige Innarella earned Most Improved Player as the sophomore goalkeeper impressed, especially as the season progressed. Innarella finished the year with a 2.68 goals against average and 0.695 save percentage, highlighted by a 12-save shutout in the win over Lafayette along with 10 saves in a win over Georgetown. Over the last seven games of the season, Innarella tallied a 0.750 save percentage, with three wins and two shutouts in that span. Innarella also had nine saves in late-season games vs. Columbia and Cornell while posting a six-save shutout at Colgate. Innarella helped the Mountain Hawks pitch three shutouts in 2017 while allowing one goal or fewer on six occasions.
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Presented to the player who made a substantive yet unrecognized contribution to the team, the Unsung Hero Award went to sophomore Amanda Boyer, who was a steady influence in the midfield. She played in all 18 games, starting 17 of them and scored a goal against Ball State. Her influence went far beyond statistics, however, as she impacted the game on both ends of the field, including on the defensive end as Lehigh allowed two goals or fewer eight times in 2017. As a team, the Mountain Hawks allowed their fewest shots per game (14.1) since 2004 when they also allowed 14.1. Boyer has been strong in the classroom as well, owning a perfect 4.0 cumulative GPA in Molecular Biology to earn Academic All-Patriot League honors following the season.
Senior Class
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Given to the player whose character, spirit, dedication, and leadership best represent the team and program, the Mountain Hawk Award went to senior Laura Yuh, who selflessly took a role as student manager. Her positive attitude and dedication to help the team in any way she could played a critical role in the Mountain Hawks' success.
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Washburn received the Scholar-Athlete Award. Washburn owns an impressive 3.66 cumulative GPA in Political Science, having been named to the Dean's List on multiple occasions while earning a spot on the Patriot League Academic Honor Roll and NFHCA National Academic Squad following every season. She was also named an NFHCA Scholar of Distinction following her freshman campaign. On the field, Washburn was one of just three Mountain Hawks to start all 18 games, playing in both the midfield and on the back line. She assisted on the game-winning goal with no time remaining in overtime against Lafayette, Lehigh's first win over Lafayette since 2005. Washburn's play helped Lehigh wrap up three 1-0 wins, its most 1-0 victories in a season since 2000.
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Given to the player who is selfless in her actions and may go unnoticed by others, the Coaches Award was presented to Arancio. Arancio had transitioned into a role as student manager after entering Lehigh as a field player, but in the early stages of 2017, she selflessly transitioned into a role as backup goalkeeper, always having the best interests of the team in mind. Arancio saw game action late in a 4-1 win at Siena.
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The Mountain Hawks finished 2017 with a 5-13 record, 2-4 in Patriot League play. Lehigh tied Lafayette for fifth place, but finished ahead of the Leopards due to tiebreaker, the first time Lehigh finished ahead of Lafayette since 2007. The Mountain Hawks earned shutout victories over LIU Brooklyn (1-0), Lafayette (1-0) and Colgate (1-0) while also defeating Siena (4-1) and Georgetown (3-2). Lehigh had five Patriot League weekly awards on the season, the program's most since 2011 and the first time in program history it has won each of the four awards at least once (Offensive Player, Defensive Player, Goalkeeper and Rookie).
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