William Smith first-year forward
Annie Kietzman was named the 2009 Liberty League Field Hockey Rookie of the Year in a vote of the conference coaches. She also earned a spot on the All-Liberty League second team, one of five Herons to earn all-league honors.
Senior midfielder
Kaitlyn Hamilton was William Smith’s lone first team selection, marking her fourth consecutive All-Liberty League appearance and third straight on the first team. Senior defender
Janelle Walkley, junior forward
Emily Atwan, and sophomore midfielder
Kiersten Hamilton received honorable mention.
A five-time Liberty League Rookie of the Week, Kietzman led the team in goals with 10 and tied for the team lead in points. Her 25-point season is the best by a Heron first-year since Kaitlyn Hamilton registered 32 in 2006. Kietzman scored more goals than any other rookie in the conference, ranking seventh in the league in points and eighth in assists. She netted a goal in each of William Smith’s final three matches (Skidmore, Union, Geneseo) and recorded a season-high four points in three consecutive matches (Oswego, Oneonta, Ithaca).
Kaitlyn Hamilton was second on the team and 10th in the league in goals with nine. She recorded 5 points (2g, 1a) in the season opener against Elmira and tied the William Smith game record with four goals against Oswego. A three-time NFHCA All-Region selection and a 2007 NFHCA second team All-American, Hamilton notched 48 career goals (6th all-time at WS) and 18 assists (t-15th) for 114 points (7th). She played in all 77 of William Smith’s games over the past four seasons, starting 74 consecutive games. She will conclude her collegiate field hockey career on Nov. 22 when she represents the Herons in the NFHCA Division III Senior All-Star Game at Mount Holyoke.
Walkley tied for second on team in assists with five, while adding four goals. She produced a season-high three points (1-1) at Oneonta and netted the game-winning goal against Nazareth. A three-year starter, Walkley played in 68 games over the past four seasons, scoring 13 goals and dishing out 10 assists.
Atwan led team with seven assists and tied for team lead with 25 points. She ranked third in the league in assists, seventh in points, and ninth in goals (9). Atwan recorded at least one point in the Herons’ first eight matches this season. She was named the Liberty League Offensive Performer of the Week on Sept. 21 following a seven-point week (3g, 1a), including a season-high five points (2-1) against Ithaca.
Kiersten Hamilton finished second on the team in goals (9) and assists (5) and third in points (23) and ranked ninth in the league in goals. She produced season-high four-point performances against Elmira (1g, 2a) and Oswego (2g). At her best against William Smith’s toughest competition, Hamilton scored goals against nationally ranked No. 1 Messiah, No. 6 Cortland, No. 7 Lebanon Valley, and No. 16 St. Lawrence.
The Herons finished this season with a 9-8 overall record, the program’s 25th consecutive winning season. William Smith hasn’t had a losing season since 1983.