South Africa natives, Savannah Burns and Kriekie van Wyk earned Synapse Sports All-American honors for the second time in their careers, the organization announced on Monday afternoon marking the first time in program history that two players have earned All-American recognition. Senior Burns was named to the Third Team and van Wyk was awarded to the Second Team.
Burns was named All-American two seasons ago as a sophomore, becoming the fifth player in program history to earn the honors. For van Wyk, this is the second straight year the junior has earned All-American honors as she was also named to the Second Team last season.
"Savannah and Kriekie deserve the recognition after the amazing season they had this year. They exemplify tremendous student-athletes and leaders both on and off the field and it has been a pleasure to coach them and watch them grow," said head coach Andy Smith.
The pair also earned National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) accolades last week, as both were named to the All- West Region First Team.
After leading the America East with 45 points and 19 goals, van Wyk was named the Offensive Player of the Year in the conference for the second year in a row, an accomplishment that has only been achieved once before in conference history. She finished eighth in the nation in goals per game (1.00) and 10th in the nation in points per game (2.37). The junior was also named to the West Division All-Conference team for the second-straight year and was a two-time America East Offensive Player of the Week honoree this season.
The junior captain from Pretoria, South Africa became the third player in Pacific program history to reach the 100-career point mark shortly after Burns. In just two years, van Wyk has racked up 102 career points, after her 57-point season last year.
In the 19 games she played this season, Burns tallied 37 points (1.95 points per game) ranking 21st in the nation and third in the America East Conference, while her 14 goals this season (0.74 goals per game), was good for 25th in the nation and fourth in the conference.
Burns took home multiple awards from the America East Conference, including one of the five major awards, earning Midfielder of the Year two years after winning the Defensive Player of the Year award. The Somerset West, South Africa native was also named a member of the West Division All-Conference team for the third-straight season and earned the America East Offensive Player of the Week on October 24th after she racked up six points in two games leading the Tigers to a pair of weekend wins against Stanford and UC Davis.
Burns' 37-point season helped her become only the second player in Pacific program history to register over 100 career points finishing her career with 110 points.
Burns and van Wyk were two of four America East players to be named to All-American honors.
The Tigers won the America East Conference West Division for the third year in a row with a 4-2 record.
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