Senior forward Caitlin Hoover of Franklin & Marshall women’s field hockey repeated as the Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Year, highlighting the conference’s 2026 All-Centennial awards announced Nov. 10 in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
Hoover also earned first-team All-Centennial honors after leading the conference with 20 goals and tying for the conference lead with 41 points. Her 1.11 goals per game ranked tied for 13th nationally, according to the Centennial Conference announcement.
The honor gave Hoover consecutive Offensive Player of the Year awards. She became the seventh player in Centennial Conference history to receive multiple Player of the Year honors and the second Franklin & Marshall player to accomplish that feat, joining Erin Coverdale, who won the award in 2017 and 2018.
Centennial Conference Announces Major Field Hockey Awards
Ursinus senior defender Rachel Fosbenner was named Defensive Player of the Year, while Swarthmore freshman goalkeeper Josie Sarno received Rookie of the Year honors. Fosbenner led an Ursinus defense that allowed an average of 1.21 goals per game through 19 contests and contributed three assists.
Fosbenner became the second Ursinus player to win Defensive Player of the Year, following Maeve Montgomery in 2024. Sarno started all 19 games for Swarthmore and posted a 1.26 goals-against average, a .809 save percentage, seven shutouts and 5.58 saves per game.
Sarno tied for the conference lead in shutouts, ranked second in save percentage and placed third in saves per game.
Swarthmore, Ursinus Share Coaching Honor
Swarthmore and Ursinus shared Coaching Staffs of the Year honors. Swarthmore head coach Hannah Harris and assistant coaches Aimee MacFarland, Emma Leppert, Tara Hausker and Hannah Richard guided the Garnet to a 12-7 overall record and a 7-3 conference record.
Swarthmore advanced to the Centennial Conference championship game for the third time in program history and was scheduled to make its second NCAA Tournament appearance that week. The honor marked Swarthmore’s first Centennial Conference coaching award since the award was introduced in 2008.
Ursinus head coach Janelle Benner and assistants Mary Lauren Franz, Danielle Neal, Addie Plummer, Heather Long, Aliki Torrence and Maeve Montgomery led the Bears to a 14-5 overall record and a 7-3 conference record. Ursinus advanced to the Centennial Conference semifinals and earned the program’s 15th NCAA postseason appearance.
The recognition marked the third Centennial Conference coaching award for Benner and her staff, following honors in 2014 and 2024.
Hoover Among Centennial Conference’s Repeat All-Centennial Honorees
Fifteen players received All-Centennial honors at least twice in their careers, including one four-time selection and seven three-time selections. Ursinus senior forward Marie Brainard became a four-time All-Centennial selection after earning first-team honors for the first time.
Hoover, Johns Hopkins senior goalkeeper Aubrey Kilgore, Franklin & Marshall senior goalkeeper Meghan Dole, Franklin & Marshall junior midfielder Megan Dadio, Swarthmore junior midfielder Kayla Fink, Dickinson senior forward/midfielder Nicole Uebele and Haverford senior forward Erica Pardón each earned All-Centennial honors for the third time.
Johns Hopkins leads the conference with 59 first-team All-Centennial selections in the 34-year history of the conference. Franklin & Marshall and Ursinus follow with 54 first-team selections apiece.
Maryland Sports Blog Take
Hoover’s repeat award places her among the seven players in Centennial Conference history with multiple Player of the Year honors and gives Franklin & Marshall its second two-time recipient after Coverdale. Her conference-leading 20 goals and 41 points were the defining statistics behind the recognition.
The major awards also included players and coaching staffs from Ursinus and Swarthmore, while Franklin & Marshall, Ursinus and Johns Hopkins were represented among the conference’s repeat All-Centennial selections.
Read the complete 2026 All-Centennial field hockey announcement from the Centennial Conference.
Source: Original report
