Program Record 23 Bears Claim NFHCA Academic Squad Honors

BERKELEY - Sara Deck picked up her fourth consecutive award to lead a program-record group of 23 California field hockey student-athletes honored with 2020 Zag Field Hockey/NFHCA Division I National Academic Squad laurels as announced by the organization on Thursday. 

The Golden Bears surpassed their previous school record of 17 recipients of the national award in 2019, marking the second straight year in which the Bears have set a program record. The 23 honorees in 2020 rank third in the nation after Louisville's 25 and Ball State's 24. 
 
The Division I National Academic Squad program recognizes those student-athletes who have achieved a cumulative GPA of 3.30 or higher through the first semester of the 2020-21 academic year. From 75 Division I institutions, over 1,200 student-athletes earned recognition.

Deck was one of nearly 200 student-athletes to earn the award a fourth time. 
 
Joining Deck on the squad are Monica Arteaga, Maggie Blundi, Rachel Buttinger, Maddie Cleat, Megan Connors, Kiki de Bruijne, Abbey Frame, Claire Hind, Makaela Hoang, Sabine Hommes, Annabelle Johnson, Cato Knipping, Yvie Lock, Marley Meyer, Natalie Moore, Jane Onners, Morgan Peterson, Ryan Poe, Kaiden Stanley, Sara Stone, Hanna Winn and Brynn Zorilla.

Poe and Zorilla repeated with their third consecutive awards, while Arteaga, Connors, Hoang, Knipping, Lock, Meyer and Peterson earned the honors for the second straight year. Cleat also garnered the recognition in 2018 and Peterson in 2017.