Bolton and Parsley-Blocker Collect VaSID Major Awards

Following a historic season that culminated in a national runner-up finish, the Liberty field hockey team featured a school-record seven players on the Virginia Sports Information Directors (VaSID) University Division Field Hockey All-State teams, as well as two major award winners in Jill Bolton and head coach Nikki Parsley-Blocker.

Bolton has been voted as the VaSID Player of the Year for the second straight season, and Parsley-Blocker has been named VaSID Coach of the Year. This is the third time in the history of the program (11 years) that Liberty has featured the VaSID Coach of the Year. Program founder Jodi Murphy received the honor in both 2013 and 2014.

Joining Bolton on the VaSID All-State first team are Azul Iritxity Irigoyen, Daniella Rhodes, Bethany Dykema and Lizzie Hamlett. Liberty led all teams in the Commonwealth with five first team honorees of the 12 available spots, which is also a new program record.

Rounding out Liberty’s honorees are Jodie Conolly and Charlotte Vaanhold, who each garnered inclusion on the VaSID All-State second team.

The Lady Flames have featured 22 VaSID All-State recipients in head coach Nikki Parsley-Blocker’s five years at the helm, including 13 over the past two seasons.

Jill Bolton (VaSID Player of the Year, VaSID All-State first team)

Bolton is now a two-time VaSID Player of the Year after earning VaSID Offensive Player of the Year honors during the spring 2021 campaign. The senior forward from Souderton, Pa., also becomes the first five-time VaSID All-State recipient in program history.

Bolton was named NFHCA Division I National Player of the Year on Dec. 16 and received the 2022 Honda Sport Award for field hockey last week. She was also honored as a first team All-American in addition to being named NFHCA South Region Player of the Year and an NFHCA All-South Region first team selection. Bolton’s other awards from this past fall include: BIG EAST Championship MVP, NCAA Field Hockey Championship All-Tournament team, All-BIG EAST first team, BIG EAST Championship All-Tournament team, NFHCA Division I Offensive Player of the Week, two-time BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week and one BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll recognition.

Bolton led the Lady Flames in goals (19) and points (45) this season and finished the year ranked No. 8 in the nation in points per game (1.96) and No. 10 in goals per game (0.83). Bolton closed out her decorated Liberty career as the program record holder in goals (61) and points (156) and ranked third in assists (34).

Bolton (spring 2021, fall 2021) and Agueda Moroni (2018) are the only two Liberty players in program history to receive VaSID Offensive Player of the Year honors, giving the Lady Flames the award in three of the last four seasons.

Nikki Parsley-Blocker (VaSID Coach of the Year)

Parsley-Blocker earns her first career VaSID Coach of the Year distinction. She guided Liberty to its best season in school history, as the Lady Flames finished as the national-runner up. Liberty won a program-record 20 games in the fall with only three losses and was the only team in the nation with 20 or more wins. The Lady Flames’ historic season included the nation’s longest winning streak, 17 games, from Sept. 17-Nov. 19.

Parsley-Blocker and her staff, which includes assistant coaches Heather Hefner and Alan Good, earned NFHCA South Region Coaching Staff of the Year honors as well as BIG EAST Coaching Staff of the Year recognition for a second straight year.

Parsley-Blocker and Liberty earned their first-ever win over a top-ranked team, defeating No. 1 Rutgers 3-2 in a shootout, Nov. 14 in the Elite Eight of the NCAA Field Hockey Championship. The victory sent the Lady Flames to their first Final Four in program history. Liberty went on to defeat No. 5 Maryland 3-2 in double overtime of the national semifinals, advancing to the national championship game. The Lady Flames’ Final Four and championship game appearance were both firsts in school history for any Liberty Athletics program at the Division I level.

Parsley-Blocker guided Liberty to a 10-3 mark against ranked teams in 2021, another single-season school record. Liberty won the BIG EAST Championship title for the first time, defeating UConn 1-0 in the final on Nov. 7. The Lady Flames also were a perfect 7-0 in conference play for the first time in school history, earning the BIG EAST regular season title for the first time as well.

Azul Iritxity Irigoyen (VaSID All-State first team)

This is Iritxity Irigoyen’s second VaSID All-State first team recognition, and she also earned VaSID Rookie of the Year accolades last spring. An NFHCA All-America first team and All-South Region first team selection, Iritxity Irigoyen also earned her second straight All-BIG EAST first team honor this fall and was also one of three Lady Flames to be named to the NCAA Field Hockey Championship All-Tournament team. The Buenos Aires, Argentina native earned three BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week recognitions this season and made the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll once.

Iritxity Irigoyen, a goalkeeper, made a season-high nine saves in No. 9 Liberty’s 3-2 win over No. 5 Maryland in the Final Four. The sophomore from Buenos Aires, Argentina made seven stops in the national championship game against No. 5 Northwestern, including the most memorable save of her career. Iritxity Irigoyen saved a penalty stroke attempt from the Wildcats’ Bente Baekers in the first half.

Iritxity Irigoyen finished the season with a 20-3 record, 1.17 goals-against-average (No. 11 in country), .724 save percentage, 71 saves and six shutouts. Through two seasons, Iritxity Irigoyen is tied for second in program history in shutouts (9), second in save percentage (.758) and third in wins (31).

Daniella Rhodes (VaSID All-State first team)

This is Rhodes’ third straight VaSID All-State first team honor. Rhodes earned her first career All-American award this past fall, receiving second team honors.

Rhodes’ other accomplishments this season included: NFHCA All-South Region first team, BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Year, All-BIG EAST first team, BIG EAST All-Tournament team and three-time BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week.

The forward from Durban, South Africa native finished second on the squad in both goals (16) and points (39). Rhodes closed the season ranked 10th in the country in points per game (1.95) and 11th in goals per game (0.80). Through three seasons (54 games), Rhodes has established herself in the program record book, ranking third in fourth in career points (112), fifth in career goals (45) and tied for eighth in career assists (22). Rhodes is also second in career points per game (2.07) and goals per game (0.83).

Bethany Dykema (VaSID All-State first team)

An NFHCA All-South Region first team selection, is receiving her second career VaSID honor after being named to the second team during the spring 2021 season. The junior defender from Newport News, Va., was also an All-BIG EAST first team selection for the second time and garnered BIG EAST Championship All-Tournament team recognition in helping Liberty to its first-ever BIG EAST title.

Dykema finished the year with eight goals, nine assists (third on team), 25 points (third on team) and one defensive save. Dykema and the Lady Flames defense tallied seven shutouts in 2021, tied for the second most in a season in school history. Liberty finished the year ranked 11th in the country in goals-against-average (1.14). Dykema was recognized on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll, Oct. 20.

Lizzie Hamlett (VaSID All-State first team)

This marks Hamlett’s first career VaSID All-State honor. The senior midfielder from Fredericksburg, Va. An NFHCA All-South Region second team selection this fall, Hamlett was also honored on the All-BIG EAST second team this season. She garnered BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week distinction once (Nov. 2) and made the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll one time as well (Sept. 14).

Hamlett finished the year tied for third on the team in goals (9) and fourth in points (23) while also adding five assists. The senior was instrumental in securing the Lady Flames’ first-ever BIG EAST regular season title, scoring both goals in Liberty’s 2-1 win home over Old Dominion on Oct. 29. The victory capped off a perfect 7-0 BIG EAST regular season for Liberty, with Hamlett’s second goal of the day serving as the game winner with 39 seconds remaining. Hamlett finished the season with three multiple-goal games, tied for the most on the squad.

Jodie Conolly (VaSID All-State second team)

This marks Conolly’s second honor from VaSID in as many years. The junior defender from Pietermartizuburg, South Africa was also an All-BIG EAST second team honoree this fall.

Conolly received one BIG EAST Defensive Player of the Week award (Nov. 2) and also made the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll (Sept. 21). The junior paced the team in assists with 11, ranking 30th in the nation in assists per game (0.50). Conolly added three goals, 17 points and two defensive saves (second on team), this fall. Conolly and the Lady Flames defense surrendered only eight goals on 87 penalty corners from their opponents (9.2 percent) in 23 contests.

Charlotte Vaanhold (VaSID All-State second team)

This is Vaanhold’s second career VaSID award after being named to the second team a season ago. Vaanhold was one of three Liberty players honored on the NCAA Field Hockey Championship All-Tournament squad and was also tabbed to the BIG EAST All-Tournament team. The senior forward from Hollandsche Rading, Netherlands performed her best during postseason play, leading Liberty in goals (5) and points (10) in those six contests while scoring four game-winning goals.

Vaanhold sent the Lady Flames to the Final Four by scoring the final goal in the shootout win at Rutgers (Nov. 14). Five days later, Vaanhold scored the game-winner in double overtime against No. 7 Maryland in the Final Four, sending Liberty to its first Division I national championship game in school history. Vaanhold finished the year with nine goals (tied for third on team) and added three assists and 21 points (fifth on team).

VaSID Player of the Year

Jill Bolton, Liberty

VaSID Rookie of the Year

Maroussia Walckiers, Longwood

Coach of the Year

Nikki Parsley-Blocker, Liberty

VaSID All-State First Team

F – Daniella Rhodes, Liberty

F – Eveline Zwager, James Madison

F – Jill Bolton, Liberty

M – Lizzie Hamlett, Liberty

M – Diede Remijsne, James Madison

M – Luna Lopez, Longwood

M – Adele Iacobucci, Virginia

D – Bethany Dykema, Liberty

D – Amber Ezechiels, Virginia

D – Janne Wetzel, VCU

GK – Azul Iritxity Irigoyen, Liberty

VaSID All-State Second Team

F – Maroussia Walckiers, Longwood

F – Charlotte Vaanhold, Liberty

F – Marlon de Bruijne, Old Dominion

M – Maite Strum, VCU

M – Lindsey Frank, Richmond

M – Delphine Le Jeune, Old Dominion

D – Jodie Conolly, Liberty

D – Rachel Robinson, Virginia

D – Steffie Bongers, Richmond

D – Ana Paula Lazaro, Loingwood

GK – Sasha Elliot, VCU