Coker field hockey coach honored
Coker College Head Field Hockey Coach Kat Heterbring highlighted the conference awards by being named the 2018 South Atlantic Conference Carolinas Field Hockey Coach of the Year.
In addition, five Cobras were named to the all-conference teams. Simcha de Vilder and Carla Deuble garnered first team honors, while Alyssa Baronella-O’Toole, Amelia Gajewski, and Kelly Mason were named to the honorable mention team.
Heterbring led Coker’s first-year program to an unprecedented 6-6 overall record, including a 5-5 mark in conference play during the regular season. Under Heterbring’s leadership, the Navy and Gold knocked off the tenth ranked team in NCAA Division II at the time, defeating Limestone 1-0 on Nov. 7.
The Cobras earned the fourth seed in the inaugural South Atlantic Conference Field Hockey Championships with Heterbring at the helm. Coker will take on the first seeded Limestone Saints in the semifinals on Friday, Nov. 16 at 4 PM. This is Heterbring’s second Coach of the Year honor, as she was named the NEAC Coach of the Year in 2016 as the head coach at Wells College.
De Vilder has been the anchor of the Cobras stout defense this season that allowed the second fewest goals in the conference with 28. The freshman from Amstelveen, Noord-Holland had one shot on goal and a defensive save during the regular season. De Vilder is the daughter of Ronald de Vilder and Daphne Kellerman.
Deuble has been pivotal to the Cobras on offense and defense this season. The freshman from Ulm, Germany has five goals (10th in conference), four assists (7th in conference), 14 points (10th in conference), and one game-winning goal (7th in conference). Deuble has started in all 12 matches for Coker. She is the daughter of Antje and Thomas Deuble, and is majoring in business administration.
Baronella-O’Toole has been an integral piece to Coker’s offense this year. The junior from Severn, Maryland is second in the conference in assists with six, and has added two goals for a total of 10 points. She is the daughter of Amy and Gary O’Toole.
She has started in all 12 games for Coker.
Gajewski has been a force for the Navy and Gold on the offensive end, and leads the Cobras in goals with nine and points with 19.
Her mark in goals is good for fourth in the conference, while her total in points comes in at sixth in the conference. The junior from Collins, New York also added one assist to her regular season stat line. Gajewksi was named the South Atlantic Conference Carolinas AstroTurf Field Hockey Offensive Player of the Week for matches played during the week of Sept. 24 through Sept. 30.
During that week, Gajewski led the Cobras to their first field hockey victory in over 40 years, with a 4-2 win over Converse in South Atlantic Conference Carolinas action. The midfielder netted a hat trick, scoring three goals for six points on three shots.
Gajewski is the daughter of Steve and Ann Marie Gajewski. She is majoring in psychology at Coker.
Mason was another standout for the Cobras on the offensive side of the field. The junior from Canastota, New York finished second on the team in points (16), goals (9), and assists (4). Mason capped off an impressive month of October by being named the SPC Credit Union Student-Athlete of the Month at Coker.
