HADLEY, Mass. – The New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) announced its women's ice hockey awards for the 2023-24 season on Wednesday.
Colby senior Meg Rittenhouse has been selected as the 2024 NESCAC Player of the Year by the conference coaches and is the first Colby player to garner the award. Rittenhouse, who also earned a spot on the All-NESCAC First Team for a third time, leads the league in goals (16), game-winning goals (6), points (29), points per game (1.16), and is fifth in assists (13). Rittenhouse, the 2022 NESCAC Rookie of the Year, has helped the Mules post a 17-7-1 record heading into their fourth NESCAC Semifinal appearance in five tournaments.
Wesleyan's Jenna Stevens is the inaugural winner of the NESCAC Defensive Player of the Year award which was established this season. Stevens, who also earned a spot on the All-NESCAC First Team for the first time in her career, started all 25 games for the Cardinals and registered 14 points on four goals and 10 assists from the blueline. Stevens also led Wesleyan in block shots with 31 which was fifth in the NESCAC. Stevens helped Wesleyan post its best season since the 1998-99 campaign and earned a spot in the NESCAC Tournament for the first time since 2019.
Hamilton newcomer Teagan Brown was voted as the NESCAC Rookie of the Year. Brown, a goalie, has played in 18 games and ranks second among the conference netminders in save percentage (.950) and goals against average (1.14). Brown is the fourth Hamilton player to earn the Rookie of the Year honor and first since Nancy Loh in 2019. The Continentals owns a 14-5-6 record as they make their third straight NESCAC Semifinal appearance.
Amherst head coach Jeff Matthews was named the NESCAC Coach of the Year in a vote by his peers. Matthews garners the award for the first time in his career after leading the Mammoths to the No. 1 seed in the NESCAC Tournament for the second year in a row. Amherst, the defending NESCAC Champion, will host the remaining rounds of the NESCAC Tournament at Orr Rink on March 1-2. Matthews has been behind the Amherst bench since 2012 and has posted a winning record in every season at the helm. He owns a career record of 165-71-31, the most wins of any active Division III head coach with fewer than 12 seasons and his .676 win percentage ranks 11th among the active Division III coaches.
2024 NESCAC Women's Ice Hockey Awards
Player of the Year: Meg Rittenhouse, Colby
Defensive Player of the Year: Jenna Stevens, Wesleyan
Rookie of the Year: Teagan Brown, Hamilton
Coach of the Year: Jeff Matthews, Amherst
| All-NESCAC First Team |
| Pos-Name |
School |
Yr |
Hometown |
Previous Honors |
| F - Rylee Glennon |
Amherst |
Sr. |
Burlington, Mass. |
2023 1st Team |
| F - Abby Smith |
Hamilton |
Sr. |
Newton, Mass. |
|
| F - Meg Rittenhouse |
Colby |
Sr. |
Tampa, Fla. |
2023 1st Team, 2022 ROY, 2022 1st Team |
| F - Leah Rubinshteyn |
Williams |
So. |
Summit, N.J. |
|
| D - Sami Quackenbush |
Hamilton |
Sr. |
Marshfield, Mass. |
|
| D - Jenna Stevens |
Wesleyan |
Sr. |
Avon, Conn. |
|
| D - Breanna Studley |
Colby |
So. |
Beverly, Mass. |
|
| G - Natalie Stott |
Amherst |
So. |
Franklin, Mass. |
2023 ROY, 2023 1st Team |
| All-NESCAC Second Team |
| Pos-Name |
School |
Yr |
Hometown |
Previous Honors |
| F - Jenny Guider |
Trinity |
Sr. |
Ridgefield, Conn. |
|
| F - Avery McInerney |
Middlebury |
So. |
Westford, Mass. |
|
| F - Maeve Reynolds |
Amherst |
So. |
Plymouth, Mass. |
|
| F - Brigitte Goeler-Slough |
Wesleyan |
Gr. |
Northampton, Mass. |
|
| D - Quinn Dawson |
Williams |
Jr. |
Oakville, Ontario |
|
| D - Callia Ferraris |
Middlebury |
Fy. |
Pawling, N.Y. |
|
| D - Emily Hohmann |
Amherst |
So. |
Norwell, Mass. |
|
| D - Kathryn Kester |
Bowdoin |
Sr. |
New York, N.Y. |
|
| G - Erin Pye |
Williams |
So. |
Third Lake, Ill. |
|
