Five Earn NEC Honors, Tullar Named GK of the Year
Senior Amanda Toke, junior Morgan Tullar and sophomore Madison Hughes earned First Team All-NEC honors. Sophomore Falynn McCartney was named to the second team and freshman Courtney McPartland was an all-rookie team selection.
Senior Amanda Toke, junior Morgan Tullar and sophomore Madison Hughes were named First Team All-Northeast Conference on Thursday night at the annual pre-tournament banquet. Sophomore Falynn McCartney earned Second Team All-NEC honors and freshman Courtney McPartland was selected to the NEC All-Rookie Team. In addition, Tullar also collected one of the major awards being named NEC Goalkeeper of the Year.
Tullar has followed up a 2013 season that earned her second team honors with an exceptional junior campaign. She shares the conference lead with 144 saves on the season and in NEC contests she has stopped 47.7% of shots. She is also among the top-12 nationally in both saves and saves per game.
Tullar is the third Blue Devil goalkeeper to be selected First Team All-NEC and the second, joining former CCSU student-athlete Erin DeLancey, to earn goalkeeper of the year honors.
Toke earned a spot on the first team for the second consecutive season after totaling a team-high 48 points on 37 goals and 11 assists. A team captain, she leads the Blue Devils in points, goals, assists and caused turnovers (21) this season, while ranking second in draw controls (46). Her 2014 totals for points, goals, draw controls and caused turnovers all rank among the top-10 single-season marks in program history and her career numbers in those categories also rank high on CCSU's all-time lists.
In addition, Toke becomes the third player in program history to earn consecutive first team selections, joining former Blue Devils Tracey Uellendahl and Betsy Vendel.
Hughes earned her first NEC postseason honor after a stellar season in which she led the Blue Devils in ground balls with 37. Hughes moved to defense and contributed 2.31 ground balls per game, the fifth best mark in the NEC. She also finished tied for second on the team in caused turnovers with 19. Hughes was a plus for the Blue Devils in transition and was a threat on offense with five goals and an assist on the season.
McCartney was named to the second team after an incredible 2014 season in which she finished second on the team in points (42), goals (34), assists (8) and led the squad with a new single-season record 58 draw controls. She was particularly good against NEC opponents with 25 points on 20 goals and five assists. Her 20 goals tied for the most in NEC play this season and her 25 points tied for second most against conference opponents.
McPartland claimed a spot on the all-rookie squad after a standout freshman season in which she started all 16 games on the CCSU defense. McPartland totaled 21 ground balls and 18 caused turnovers in her rookie campaign. McPartland also chipped in with 10 draw controls on the season. She is the third CCSU student-athlete to earn a place on the NEC rookie squad.
The 2014 Blue Devils won seven games to match the second highest single-season win total in program history. Also, the team's 4-3 record in NEC play produced a .571 winning percentage that ranks as the second best mark in program history.
The #4 Blue Devils will play the #1 Bryant Bulldogs tomorrow at 4 p.m. in the opening contest of the NEC Tournament semifinals. The #2 Wagner Seahawks and #3 Robert Morris Colonials will play in the other semifinal. The winners of the two semifinals will play on Sunday for the NEC Championship.