GILBERT, Ariz. – Graduate student Laura van der Doorn (Beverwijk, The Netherlands) of the Southern New Hampshire University field hockey team was chosen as the Zag Field Hockey/NFHCA Division II National Scholar-Athlete on Wednesday.
van der Doorn, the first Penmen ever to win the award, previously had her name appear on the Zag Sports/NFHCA National Academic Squad and Scholars of Distinction list, in addition to earning Northeast-10 academic accolades, such as field hockey's Sport Excellence Award and Academic All-Conference honors. Athletically, van der Doorn's list of feats includes NFHCA All-America First Team, NFHCA Division II East Region Player of Year, NE10 Player of the Year and NE10 All-Conference First Team. van der Doorn, who is pursuing her Master's degree in English as a Foreign Language and currently has a perfect 4.0 grade-point average, turned in the finest season of her career with a program and NE10-best 15 goals, to go along with five assists for 35 points. She was second on the team and league in total points, eighth nationally in goals, and ranked No. 11 in points in all of NCAA Division II Field Hockey. van der Doorn was was one of just six student-athletes to eclipse the 30-point plateau in the NE10 and among 17 nationally to do so. In addition to becoming the program's first All-America First Team selection this season and first NE10 All-Conference First Teamer a year ago, van der Doorn is now also the team's first NE10 Sport Excellence Award winner.
The Zag Field Hockey/NFHCA National Scholar-Athlete award is presented to the 2019 Longstreth/NFHCA Division II All-American honoree who earns the highest cumulative grade-point average through the first semester of the 2019-20 academic year.
For the latest on Southern New Hampshire University athletics, follow the Penmen via social media on Twitter, Facebook, Youtube and Instagram. You can also sign up to receive text message alerts and e-mail newsletters about your favorite Penmen teams.
