RICHMOND — William & Mary field hockey junior Josie Mae Gruendel and senior Emme Schwartz earned Preseason All-CAA honors, the league announced on Thursday.
Gruendel was one of 12 players named to the field hockey preseason All-CAA team, while Schwartz was among five players be earn honorable mention distinction.
It marked the second-straight season in which Gruendel was recognized after she was on the honorable mention list in 2024. Gruendel has started 26 of his 35 career appearances for the Tribe, totaling two goals and an assist. She was a CAA All-Rookie team choice in 2023.
A two-year starter, Schwartz received the first CAA honor of her career. She has started 37 of the 38 matches over the last two seasons and appeared in 51 over her three-year career. Last season, Schwartz tallied two assists and three defensive saves. She not only led the team in defensive saves, but ranked fourth in the CAA and 20th nationally.
Drexel’s Valentine Van Hellemont was the CAA Preseason Player of the Year. Joining Van Hellemont and Gruendel on the Preseason All-CAA team were Drexel’s Anna Castaldo and Marti Sanabria, Towson’s Anouk Westerink, Tessa Scheenstra, and Alana Poole, Monmouth’s Anna Moors and Milla Frye, Hofstra’s Jamie Mc Millan and Pilar Penaloza, and Alex Mega of Northeastern. Drexel’s Fleur Hamers, Teresa Karoff of Hofstra, Northeastern’s Maya Prasad, and Lilly Ricks of Monmouth joined Schwartz on the honorable mention list.
Drexel was selected as the preseason favorite to win the CAA by a vote of the league head coaches, totaling 25 points and five first-place votes. Following the Dragons in the preseason league poll was Monmouth (20), Northeastern (16, 1 first place vote), Hofstra (10), Towson (10), and William & Mary (9).
The Tribe opens the season by hosting American on Friday, Aug. 29, at 5 p.m. The contest will be broadcast on FloCollege.
