RICHMOND — William & Mary senior Tabby Billingham and sophomore Pyper Friedman were named to the 2022 Preseason All-CAA Field Hockey Team, the league announced on Monday.
The Tribe duo was among 11 players honored during the preseason. Joining Billingham and Friedman on the team were preseason player of the year Julia Duffhuis from Delaware and the Blue Hens’ Ashlyn Carr, Lizzie Gaebel and Kiki Oudshoorn, Monmouth’s Annick van Lange, Northeastern’s Lauren Rowe and Lara Taylor, Hofstra’s Cami Larsson and Drexel’s Eline Di Leva.
William & Mary was picked fourth in the CAA preseason poll by vote of the league coaches. Delaware was selected as the preseason favorite to win the CAA followed by Northeastern in second and Monmouth in third. Drexel, Hofstra and Towson rounded out the preseason standings behind the Tribe.
Billingham was an All-CAA Second Team selection for the second year in a row in 2021. She has started all 40 games of her Tribe career in the defensive backfield and owns four assists, including three last season.
Friedman started all 16 games in the midfield on her way to earning CAA All-Rookie Team honors last season. She was named the CAA Rookie of the Week after scoring the decisive shootout goal in a win over Hofstra on Oct. 1, before tallying her first collegiate tally in a 4-3 win over Northeastern. Friedman played for the U.S. U-21 National Team in 2022 and was recently named to the selection camp for 2023.
The Tribe hosts Liberty in its final scrimmage of the year on Friday, Aug. 19, at 3 p.m. W&M opens the regular season at Busch Field against in-state rival Old Dominion on Aug. 26 at 5 p.m.
