Grats to the Lady Huskies/Graduation Data

Congratulations to the Lady Huskies of Bloomsburg on taking their third straight Division II field hockey title, and their sixth in the last seven years, by defeating 6-2 on Sunday the Lady River Hawks of UMass-Lowell, who were the 2005 champions and last years' defeated finalist. Senior Jamie Vanartsdalen, who scored two goals in the finals last year, bested that performance by scoring three goals and assisting on one other. Over the course of the season, she scored 40 goals and posted 22 assists, which bested the DII record which she set last year, and she was named Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference field hockey athlete of the year for the second year running. Maggey Bloskey, Chelsea Due, and Ashley Miller rounded out the scoring for the Huskies, while Jaci Moulton and and Missy Seeley added the goals for the River Hawks. This also marks the fifteenth national title in field hockey for head coach Jan Hutchinson.

Bloomsburg also posts a 70% graduation rate in women's sports other than basketball, cross country, and track. Their final four rivals have even better numbers. Defeated finalist UMass-Lowell posts a 81% graduation rate, with semi-finalists Shippensburg and Bentley coming it at 82% and 91% respectively. Once again, there is clear evidence that academic and on-field success are not mutually exclusive. Many congratulations to all of the fine STUDENT-athletes who participated.