University of Massachusets Athletics
Widdall And Potts Named All-Americans By NFHCA
November 25, 2008 | Field Hockey
Nov. 25, 2008
AMHERST, Mass. - The National Field Hockey Coaches Association announced its Division I All-Americans on Monday and two UMass Minutewomen were honored. Freshman goalkeeper Alesha Widdall was named second team All-American and sophomore midfielder Makaela Potts was named to the third team. Both played vital roles in UMass' success in 2008 under second-year head coach Justine Sowry that saw the Minutewomen post their best season since 2000.
Widdall, just a freshman, made her presence felt immediately in 2008, going 14-5 with seven shutouts. Her goals against average of 1.06 was the best in the Atlantic 10 Conference and ranked fifth nationally, while her .778 save percentage was also tops in the A-10 and ranked sixth nationally. After leading the UMass defense that had lost three out of four starting backs from the year before to an even better goals-against mark in 2008, Widdall received numerous honors, including A-10 All-Conference first team, NFHCA All-Northeast Region first team, A-10 Co-Rookie of the Year, and WomensFieldHockey.com All-Rookie team.
Potts, a sophomore, has played the center midfield position for UMass the last two seasons and established herself as the central point of both the offense and defense. An aggressive defender, Potts served as the captain of the unit and led a UMass defense that allowed only 9.6 shots per game. She also set career-highs at the offensive end four goals, three assists, and a conference-leading 69 shots. Her other postseason honors include A-10 All-Conference first team, A-10 All-Championship team, and NFHCA All-Northeast Region first team.
Widdall and Potts were the only players from A-10 institutions named to any of the three All-American teams.
Both players were recruits of Sowry, who in her two seasons at UMass has posted a combined record of 31-14 with two Atlantic 10 Championships, two NCAA Tournament appearances, and two A-10 Coach of the Year awards. She led the Minutewomen to a 17-5 record in 2008, the program's most wins since 2000, culminating in their 11th A-10 title and 21st NCAA appearance.
