Three Trinity College Field Hockey Players Earn All-American Honors
Six Bantams Chosen For Post-Season Accolades
Hartford, Conn., Dec. 5, 2008 - Trinity College senior Christine Mwaturura (Helensvale, Zimbabwe) was selected to the 2008 womensfieldhockey.com Division III All-American First Team and to the 2008 Longstreth/National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division III All-American Second Team, while sophomore Robyn Williams (Bulawayo, Zimbabwe) also graced the Longstreth/NFHCA All-American Second Team, and freshman goalkeeper Gina DiNallo (West Hartford, Conn.) was chosen for the womensfieldhockey.com Division III All-American Third Team. Mwaturura and Williams were both also selected to the Longstreth/NFHCA All-Regional First Team and the New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) All-Conference First Team, while DiNallo and fellow rookie Payson Sword (Princeton, N.J.) made the womensfieldhockey.com National All-Rookie Team. Senior co-captain Karli Rossi (Mantua, N.J.) graced the Longstreth/NFHCA All-Regional Second Team and the All-NESCAC Second Team, and senior Megan Hannigan (Rye, N.Y.) was picked for the Longstreth/NFHCA All-Regional Second Team.
The Trinity field hockey squad, coached by Anne Parmenter (8th season) posted its best record since 1998 at 13-5 overall and qualified for the NESCAC Championship Tournament for the fourth time in five years with a 6-3 conference mark. The Bantams defeated Amherst, 1-0, on the road to win the first NESCAC Championship Tournament game in the program's history, before dropping a 1-0 overtime loss at top-seeded and eventual champion Tufts in the semifinals. Trinity qualified for the NCAA Division III National Championship Tournament for the first time since 1998 and hosted its first-ever NCAA Tournament game in the opening round. The Bantams trounced Neumann, 7-0, in the NCAA First Round, but lost a heartbreaking, 5-4 decision in overtime, after taking a 4-0 lead in the first half, against Rowan in the NCAA Second Round at Messiah College.
Mwaturura, who started all 17 games in which she played and performed equally well on defense and in the midfield, recorded three goals and three assists for nine points with two game-winning goals and two defensive saves. She was selected as the NESCAC Player of the Week once this season, after scoring both goals in a 2-0 win at Bowdoin that snapped the Polar Bears' 31-game winning streak and 39-game home winning streak. An All-NESCAC First Teamer in 2005 and an All-Regional, All-NESCAC, and National All-Rookie selection in 2005, Mwaturura made a triumphant return to the squad this fall after spending the 2007 fall semester studying in China. A graduate of the Chispite School, Mwaturura is majoring in economics and Asian Studies at Trinity. She is the daughter of Beatrice and Christopher Mwaturura.
Williams, who played in 16 games with 15 starts, was equally effective at forward and in the midfield. She finished second on the team in all scoring categories with 11 goals (0.69 per game, 7th in NESCAC) and eight assists (0.50 per game, 5th in NESCAC) for 30 points (1.88 per game, 5th in NESCAC) and recorded three game-winning goals. Williams returned to the field hockey turf this fall, after concentrating on playing varsity squash and tennis for the Bantams as a freshman in 2007-08. A graduate of the Girls' College, she is the daughter of Sheila and Trefor Williams.
DiNallo totaled 76 saves and was second in the league in save percentage at .844 (7th in nation) and shutouts with four. DiNallo emerged as the starter in the cage in midseason, and finished with 853 minutes, a 6-5 record, and 14 goals allowed for a 1.15 GAA (18th in nation). A graduate of William H. Hall High School, she is the daughter of Susan and Russell DiNallo.
Sword, who played in every game with nine starts at midfield and defense for the Bantams, had six goals and three assists for 15 points this fall. A graduate of the Lawrenceville School, she is the daughter of Elizabeth and Richard Sword.
Del Rossi, who started all 18 games at forward for the Bantams, led the team in scoring for the second straight year with a team-high 17 goals (0.94 per game, 4th in NESCAC) and three assists for 37 points (2.06 per game, 4th in NESCAC). An All-Regional and All-NESCAC selection last fall, Del Rossi was selected as the NESCAC Player of the Week once this season for totaling four goals in wins over Mass.-Dartmouth and Colby. She finishes her outstanding career with 34 goals and 16 assists for 84 points in 62 games. A graduate of the Peddie School, Del Rossi is majoring in psychology at Trinity. She is the daughter of Karen and John Del Rossi.
Hannigan played in every game with 17 starts this fall, recording one assist and topping the NESCAC with six defensive saves. She finishes her outstanding career with 10 defensive saves in 57 games. A graduate of the Loomis Chaffee School in Connecticut, Hannigan is majoring in economics at Trinity. She is the daughter of Elizabeth and Michael Hannigan.
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