Four Major Award Winners Highlight Field Hockey CNE All-Conference Awards
BEVERLY, Mass. — The No. 8 Endicott field hockey team has claimed 14 total awards between nine different members in this season's Conference of New England (CNE) Postseason Awards, as announced by the league office on Friday afternoon.
The Gulls earned four of the six major awards in the conference. In total, eight Gulls were named to the First Team, one was named to the Second Team, and one was named to the Community Service Team.
Sophomore defender Riley Perkins (Lakeville, Mass.) led the group, being named Defensive Player of the Year, while fellow sophomore Faith Minickene (Madison, Conn.) garnered Goalkeeper of the Year honors for the second consecutive season. Tori Swanson (Farmington, Conn.) collected Scholar Athlete of the Year honors as well for her outstanding work both in the classroom and on the field.
Head Coach Jodi Cipolla rounded out the list of major individual award winners with her seventh career conference Coach of the Year award (2008, 2012, 2017, 2019, 2022, and 2024).
Lastly, Abby Antonelli (Worcester, Mass.) was named as the Gulls' representative on the CNE Community Service Team for her charitable contributions and outstanding leadership within the Endicott community. She is a member of The Hidden Opponent club, part of EC LEAD, and is a campus tour guide in the admissions office.
The remaining award winners for the Gulls included:
ALL-CNE FIRST TEAM
F- Maddy Dengler (Winchester, Mass.)
F- Reagan Hicks (Barnstable, Mass.)
F- Tori Swanson (Farmington, Conn.)
M- Lily Farnham (Andover, Mass.)
M- Riley Perkins (Lakeville, Mass.)
D- Natalia Correia (Tyngsboro, Mass.)
D- Kate Harris (Andover, Mass.)
GK- Faith Minickene (Madison, Conn.)
ALL-CNE SECOND TEAM
M- Lily Johnson (Paxton, Mass.)
MAJOR AWARD WINNERS
RILEY PERKINS | SO. | D | Lakeville, Mass.
Defensive Player of the Year | All-CNE First Team
Perkins is the seventh student-athlete in program history to be named Conference Defensive Player of the Year. This is the fourth consecutive year the Gulls have received this distinction, as Rachel Lemay '23 (Westminster, Mass.), Meghan Lehouiller '24 (Colchester, Vt.), and Maddy Young '25 (Hingham, Mass.) all captured Conference Defensive Player of the Year honors.
The reigning CNE Rookie of the Year has established herself as an important part of the Gulls' defense over the past two seasons, holding opponents to less than one goal per game this season and allowing multiple goals in a game just three times.
So far, Perkins and the defense have squared off against five student-athletes who rank inside the top 10 in Division III for Goals Per Game, holding them to a combined stat line of two goals on 18 shots (10 shots on goal).
Perkins is also Endicott's main penalty-stroke taker and has converted 10 this season, giving her 11 for her career and the program record. The sophomore's most recent conversion came in the semifinals of the CNE Tournament to give Endicott the 3-2 victory in double overtime and punch their ticket to the CNE championship game.
This marks Perkins' second consecutive First-Team All-Conference honor and first Defensive Player of the Year recognition.
FAITH MINICKENE | SO. | GK | Madison, Conn.
Goalkeeper of the Year | All-CNE First Team
Minickene, the reigning Goalkeeper of the Year in the conference, has continued her excellence in the goal this season as she currently has an 18-1 record, allowing just 12 goals all season (0.67 goals against average) and a .899 save percentage.
The sophomore has six shutouts this season and three games with 10 or more saves, including 18 in the victory over No. 1 Middlebury. For her efforts in the contest, Minickene was named National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Defensive Player of the Week, just the third student-athlete in program history to earn the distinction.
Her save percentage not only ranks first in the conference but highest among 150 goalies ranked across Division III. The Madison, Conn. native also ranks sixth nationally in Goals Against average.
The First-Team All-Conference honor is the second of Minickene's career.
TORI SWANSON | SR. | F | Farmington, Conn.
Scholar Athlete of the Year | All-CNE First Team
Swanson is the first student-athlete to earn Scholar Athlete of the Year honors for the Endicott Field Hockey team since Jennifer Rheaume '07 (Blackstone, Mass.) earned the award in 2007.
The senior has had an impressive season for the Gulls, scoring 22 goals and adding six assists for 50 points. This year, Swanson has become the program leader in both points (183) and goals (83).
However, her numbers in the classroom are just as impressive as her season and career accolades.
Swanson is a Sport Management major with a minor in Financial Accounting and currently sports a 3.93 cumulative grade point average (GPA).
She has been named three times a National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Scholar of Distinction and part of the NFHCA National Academic Squad.
Over her time at Endicott, the Farmington, Conn. native has completed internships with the UConn Athletic Business Services Department and another internship with the Hartford Athletic Soccer team in the finance department.
JODI CIPOLLA | 19TH SEASON | COACH OF THE YEAR
Head Coach Jodi Cipolla has earned her second consecutive Coach of the Year honor. This season, she has coached the Gulls to a 19-1 overall record and a perfect 7-0 conference record for the second straight season.
The team's dominance this season has been highlighted by a 19-game winning streak, the longest across all Division III and in program history. During this historic run, the Gulls have reached their highest national ranking ever at No. 8.
Cipolla guided the Gulls to ranked wins over No. 1 Middlebury (2-1, OT) and No. 19 MIT (3-0) as the team ranks atop Division III in multiple statistical categories, including Goals Per Game (5.30), Points Per Game (13.40), Scoring Average (5.22), and Scoring Margin (4.59).
WHAT'S NEXT
No. 8 Endicott (19-1) hosts the CNE Championship as the No. 1 seed tomorrow, Saturday, November 8, at 1 PM against second-seeded Roger Williams. The winner of Saturday's championship game secures the conference's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Field Hockey tournament.
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(Photo Credit - Endicott Athletics)