Pastor, Bitting and Schneider Earn NFHCA All-America Honors
June 15, 2021 | Field Hockey
The University of Louisville's Alli Bitting, Mercedes Pastor and Meghan Schneider earned 2020 National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) All-America honors as announced by the organization this evening. Pastor was selected to the first team, Bitting garnered second team honors and Schneider was named to the third team.
Thirty-one student-athletes were selected as All-Americans for the first time and 13 were honored for the second time. Four student-athletes were selected for the third year: Erin Matson from the University of North Carolina, Maddy Murphy from the University of Iowa, Mercedes Pastor from the University of Louisville, and Corinne Zanolli from Stanford University.
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This marks the fourth straight year the Cardinals have had three NFHCA All-America selections, matching a program record set in 2017.
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"This year, our program continued to build on last year's historic season," said UofL head coach Justine Sowry. "Despite the challenges of COVID and navigating both a fall and spring campaign, Louisville Field Hockey achieved unprecedented success both on the field and in the classroom. In a year that demanded so much, Mechi, Alli, and Meghan anchored our team and demonstrated the resiliency that was instrumental in helping our program continue to reach new heights."Â
Pastor a senior midfielder/forward from Buenos Aires, takes home her third straight All-America honor after being named the 2020-21 NFHCA All-West Region Player of the Year. She was a first-time All-American in 2019 and a second team selection in 2018. This season the team co-captain led the Cardinals with 13 goals – five of them game-winners – and tallied six assists, including one in Louisville's 1-0 win over No. 6 UConn in the NCAA quarterfinals. She totaled a career-high 32 points and finished the year ranked second in the ACC in goals and points. The preseason all-conference selection was named ACC Player of the Week four times and NFHCA National Player of the Week three times. She is a three-time NFHCA All-West Region and a three-time All-ACC selection (2018, 2019, 2020) and was named to the NFHCA Division I Senior Team.
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Bitting (Hummelstown, Pa.) earns her second all-America nod following a career-best season in which she registered a career-high eight assists and two goals, including one in the 1-0 NCAA quarterfinal win against No. 6 UConn. She was also a second-team selection in 2019. The three-time all-region honoree is also a two-time All-ACC selection and team co-captain. She was named to the 2020-21 NCAA All-Tournament team after Louisville's first-ever NCAA semifinal appearance. Additionally, the midfielder was named ACC and NFHCA Defensive Player of the Week in October and helped the Cardinals record four shutouts on the season.
Schneider (San Diego, Calif.), was named to the All-American team for the first time. The two-time All-West Region selection dished out a career-high seven assist and scored one goal to produce nine points in her senior season. She was tabbed the NFHCA National Defensive Player of the Week on October 7, 2020. The three-year starter and team co-captain helped the Cardinals to 17 shutouts over the last four years – including a 1-0 win against No. 6 UConn in the NCAA quarterfinals to send Louisville to the NCAA Semifinals for the first time in program history. She was also named to the NFHCA DI Senior Team.
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Schneider was also named the 2020-21 NFHCA National Scholar-Athlete of Year which is presented annually to the Division I All-American who earns the highest cumulative grade-point average through the first semester of the current academic year. She becomes the first Louisville student-athlete to earn the award.
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Additionally, Schneider earned the Elite 90 Award for the 2020-21 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship posting the highest GPA (4.0) of participating semifinal teams and is a finalist for the 2020 NCAA Honda Award for Field Hockey.
"This marks the fourth year Louisville has had three represented on the All-American teams," said Sowry. "Meghan garnering Scholar Athlete of the Year honors represents the first time this prestigious award has been received by a Louisville Cardinal. I am so incredibly proud of these three young women and to have been part of this truly unforgettable season."
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About Louisville Field Hockey
Louisville finished the 2020-21 season with a 14-6 overall record and ranked No. 3 in the NFHCA coaches poll and achieved numerous milestones along the way, including reaching the program's first NCAA Final Four. In the fall, the Cards won the ACC regular season title and earned the top seed in the conference tournament after producing a 5-1 record which included a win over two-time defending national champion North Carolina, snapping the Tar Heels' NCAA-best 47-game win streak. Louisville posted a runner-up finish to UNC in the fall ACC tournament.
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In the spring, Louisville went on to earn the highest ranking in program history at No. 2 despite the loss of three seniors who opted out for the spring campaign. UofL earned the overall No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament, marking the second straight season as a national seed, and went on to beat No. 6 UConn in the quarterfinals to advance to its first NCAA semifinal. Competing in their first-ever Final Four, the Cardinals battled with the No. 2 seed Michigan but eventually fell 2-1 in a sudden-victory shootout.
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Thirty-one student-athletes were selected as All-Americans for the first time and 13 were honored for the second time. Four student-athletes were selected for the third year: Erin Matson from the University of North Carolina, Maddy Murphy from the University of Iowa, Mercedes Pastor from the University of Louisville, and Corinne Zanolli from Stanford University.
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This marks the fourth straight year the Cardinals have had three NFHCA All-America selections, matching a program record set in 2017.
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"This year, our program continued to build on last year's historic season," said UofL head coach Justine Sowry. "Despite the challenges of COVID and navigating both a fall and spring campaign, Louisville Field Hockey achieved unprecedented success both on the field and in the classroom. In a year that demanded so much, Mechi, Alli, and Meghan anchored our team and demonstrated the resiliency that was instrumental in helping our program continue to reach new heights."Â
Pastor a senior midfielder/forward from Buenos Aires, takes home her third straight All-America honor after being named the 2020-21 NFHCA All-West Region Player of the Year. She was a first-time All-American in 2019 and a second team selection in 2018. This season the team co-captain led the Cardinals with 13 goals – five of them game-winners – and tallied six assists, including one in Louisville's 1-0 win over No. 6 UConn in the NCAA quarterfinals. She totaled a career-high 32 points and finished the year ranked second in the ACC in goals and points. The preseason all-conference selection was named ACC Player of the Week four times and NFHCA National Player of the Week three times. She is a three-time NFHCA All-West Region and a three-time All-ACC selection (2018, 2019, 2020) and was named to the NFHCA Division I Senior Team.
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Bitting (Hummelstown, Pa.) earns her second all-America nod following a career-best season in which she registered a career-high eight assists and two goals, including one in the 1-0 NCAA quarterfinal win against No. 6 UConn. She was also a second-team selection in 2019. The three-time all-region honoree is also a two-time All-ACC selection and team co-captain. She was named to the 2020-21 NCAA All-Tournament team after Louisville's first-ever NCAA semifinal appearance. Additionally, the midfielder was named ACC and NFHCA Defensive Player of the Week in October and helped the Cardinals record four shutouts on the season.
Schneider (San Diego, Calif.), was named to the All-American team for the first time. The two-time All-West Region selection dished out a career-high seven assist and scored one goal to produce nine points in her senior season. She was tabbed the NFHCA National Defensive Player of the Week on October 7, 2020. The three-year starter and team co-captain helped the Cardinals to 17 shutouts over the last four years – including a 1-0 win against No. 6 UConn in the NCAA quarterfinals to send Louisville to the NCAA Semifinals for the first time in program history. She was also named to the NFHCA DI Senior Team.
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Schneider was also named the 2020-21 NFHCA National Scholar-Athlete of Year which is presented annually to the Division I All-American who earns the highest cumulative grade-point average through the first semester of the current academic year. She becomes the first Louisville student-athlete to earn the award.
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Additionally, Schneider earned the Elite 90 Award for the 2020-21 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship posting the highest GPA (4.0) of participating semifinal teams and is a finalist for the 2020 NCAA Honda Award for Field Hockey.
"This marks the fourth year Louisville has had three represented on the All-American teams," said Sowry. "Meghan garnering Scholar Athlete of the Year honors represents the first time this prestigious award has been received by a Louisville Cardinal. I am so incredibly proud of these three young women and to have been part of this truly unforgettable season."
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About Louisville Field Hockey
Louisville finished the 2020-21 season with a 14-6 overall record and ranked No. 3 in the NFHCA coaches poll and achieved numerous milestones along the way, including reaching the program's first NCAA Final Four. In the fall, the Cards won the ACC regular season title and earned the top seed in the conference tournament after producing a 5-1 record which included a win over two-time defending national champion North Carolina, snapping the Tar Heels' NCAA-best 47-game win streak. Louisville posted a runner-up finish to UNC in the fall ACC tournament.
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In the spring, Louisville went on to earn the highest ranking in program history at No. 2 despite the loss of three seniors who opted out for the spring campaign. UofL earned the overall No. 3 seed in the NCAA tournament, marking the second straight season as a national seed, and went on to beat No. 6 UConn in the quarterfinals to advance to its first NCAA semifinal. Competing in their first-ever Final Four, the Cardinals battled with the No. 2 seed Michigan but eventually fell 2-1 in a sudden-victory shootout.
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Players Mentioned
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