Nov. 4, 2009

BERKELEY - Natalie Nurnberg of the California field hockey team was named the NorPac Conference West Offensive Player of the Year, as announced by the conference on Wednesday. The junior was also a NorPac first-team selection. Freshman Deanna Kennedy and sophomore Erin Magill were named to the all-conference second team.

Nurnberg is Cal's leading scorer this year with 21 points, and she is tied for the team lead in goals with seven. She earned NorPac Offensive Player of the Week honors after recording five points in Cal's 6-1 victory against UC Davis on Oct. 10. She got her first two goals of the season against Northeastern in the third game of the campaign. When Cal defeated Stanford, 4-3, in Berkeley, Nurnberg got the day off to a good start for Cal when she scored in the second minute of the match. It was not the only time Natalie gave the Bears the momentum early. In Cal's 6-1 win over UC Davis, she scored the first goal of the game at the five-minute mark. Natalie has earned the majority of her assists on the year from converted penalty corners.

Kennedy has tallied a team-best eight assists on the season. She earned all of the assists on penalty corners, as she provided the stick stop. Kennedy secured NorPac Rookie Player of the Week honors after the first week of the season when she collected the first assist of her collegiate career and also notched two shots on goal. As true freshman, Deanna has started every game of the season.

Magill is second on the team in points with 16 and tied for the team lead in goals with seven. She also has two assists on the campaign. In addition to being a key member of the defense for the Bears, Magill has also been valuable on corners, where all of her goals were scored. Magill recorded a hat trick in Cal's 4-3 victory against Stanford on Sept. 27, earning NorPac Offensive Player of the Week honors in the process. Magill earned NorPac Defensive Player of the Week honors when she earned a defensive save against Miami of Ohio, and also contributed an assist on Cal's lone goal against the RedHawks. She also tallied two goals against UC Davis on Oct. 10.

Cal (6-10) opens the 2009 NorPac Tournament against Davidson Thursday, Nov. 5, at 6:30 p.m. at Stanford. The Bears are the No. 2 seed in the West.

2009 NorPac All-Conference Team

First Team
Becky Dru (Stanford) Fr., Defender
Camille Gandhi (Stanford) Jr., Defender
Jessie Harris (Appalachian State) Sr., Forward
Julia Hernandez (Longwood) Sr., Midfielder
Katy McDonough (Pacific) Sr., Forward
Alessandra Moss (Stanford) Freshman, Goalkeeper
Nicole Morgan (Appalachian State) Jr., Forward
Natalie Nurnberg (California) Jr., Forward
Courtney Poole (Radford) So., Forward/Midfielder
Xanthe Travlos (Stanford) Jr., Midfielder
Madonna Wadolowski (Radford) So., Midfielder

Second Team
Deanna Kennedy (California) Fr. Midfielder
Olga Knop (Longwood) So., Midfielder
Kiddy Leubane (Pacific) Sr., Forward
Erin Magill (California) So., Defender
Jennie Mostellar (Davidson) Forward/Midfielder
Lisa Muhl (Pacific) Sr., Defender
Clare Perry (Davidson) Jr., Forward
Marlee Schramm (Radford) So., Midfielder
Midori Uehara (Stanford) Sr., Forward
Lauren Van de Kamp (Longwood) Jr., Midfielder
Jennifer Wisniewski (Radford) Jr., Goalkeeper

East Player of the Year
Julia Hernandez, Longwood
West Player of the Year
Xanthe Travlos, Stanford
East Offensive Player of the Year
Julia Hernandez, Longwood
West Offensive Player of the Year
Natalie Nurnberg, California
East Defensive Player of the Year
Jennifer Wisniewski, Radford
West Defensive Player of the Year
Lisa Muhl, Pacific
Maria Whitehead Rookie of the Year
Becky Dru, Stanford
Sheryl Johnson Academic Award
Elizabeth Luckey, Davidson
Julie Nagel Extraordinary Teammate Award
Bethany Anne Ridley, Stanford