BRUNSWICK — The Bowdoin College volleyball team cleaned up in postseason awards handed out by the New England Small College Athletic Conference on Wednesday.
The Polar Bears claimed three major awards, with junior Caroline Flaharty being named NESCAC Player of the Year, senior Lisa Sheldon being named NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year and head coach Erin Cady collecting NESCAC Coach of the Year recognition.
In addition, Flaharty and Sheldon earned First Team All-NESCAC honors along with sophomore Kate Kiser. Sophomore Ashley Williams was named as a Second Team All-NESCAC selection.
Flaharty is the third Bowdoin volleyball player to be named NESCAC Player of the Year, joining Kristin Hanczor in 2011 and Christy Jewett in 2015, and earned First Team honors for the second straight season. Flaharty was the NESCAC Rookie of the Year in 2016 and an All-NESCAC Second Team selection the same season. She ranks fourth in the NESCAC in kills, averaging 3.35 per set. She is hitting .275 for the NCAA-bound Polar Bears, while averaging 3.01 digs per set.
Sheldon was named the NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year and earned a spot on the All-NESCAC First Team for the first time after garnering a spot on the All-NESCAC Second Team last year. Sheldon, a senior, is the third Polar Bear to be named Defensive Player of the Year, joining Taylor Vail (2013) and Katie Doherty (2014, 2015, 2016). Sheldon ranks second in the NESCAC in digs per set (5.68) and helped the Polar Bears claim the NESCAC title, surpassing 1,500 career digs during championship weekend.
This season marks the first time since 2015 that players from the same team have earned the Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year honors. Jewett and Katie Doherty are the last teammates to achieve the feat.
Kiser, the NESCAC Rookie of the Year and an All-NESCAC Second Team selection last year, is the third Bowdoin player on the First Team in 2018. She ranks second in the league in assists per set (10.16) and is tied for the team lead in service aces (29).
Williams earned her first postseason honor following a sensational sophomore campaign that saw her rack up 276 kills (2.91/set) to stand second on the squad while hitting at a .296 rate.
Cady was selected by her peers as the NESCAC Coach of the Year. She led the Polar Bears to their second NESCAC title since her arrival in 2015 and third overall. Cady earns the honor for the first time in her career and is the second Bowdoin head coach to garner the award, joining Karen Corey (2011).
Bowdoin is headed to the NCAA Tournament for the fifth time in program history and the second time in four years under Cady. The Polar Bears enter the tournament with a record of 27-1.
Field hockey
Four Bowdoin athletes have received All-NESCAC awards for their play during the 2018 season.
First-Year Manveer Sandhu received Rookie of the Year honors, while junior Kara Finnerty earned First Team recognition. Senior Elizabeth Bennewitz and junior Emma Stevens were both named Second Team selections.
Sandhu is the sixth Polar Bear to be named NESCAC Rookie of the Year. She joins Marissa O’Neil (2001), Taryn King (2003), Ingrid Oelschlager (2007), Rachel Kennedy (2012), and Mettler Growney (2013). Sandhu started all 16 games for the Polar Bears and totaled 10 points on three goals and four assists from the midfield.
Finnerty was a Second Team selection in 2017 and moved up to the First Team in her junior season. She ranked third in the league with 10 assists and second on the team in points with 28. Finnerty was one of five Polar Bears to start in all 16 games.
Stevens earned her first collegiate accolades following a stellar season on the forward line. The junior led the conference in goals (20) and points (44). She recorded five game-winning goals and three hat tricks. Stevens scored multiple games in six different games during the season.
In her senior season, Bennewitz recorded three goals and a pair of assists while added two defensive saves. The defender graduates with 13 career goals and 19 assists, as well as seven defensive saves, in her four years playing for the Polar Bears.
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