Field hockey's O'Donnell named NFHCA Player of the Year

Terrapin field hockey forward Katie O'Donnell added yet another award to an already distinguished resume yesterday.

Just one day after O'Donnell was selected to the organization's first-team All-America squad for the fourth straight season, the National Field Hockey Coaches Association named O'Donnell the Division I National Player of the Year.

"It's special, but I couldn't have won it without the rest of my teammates," O'Donnell said. "Having them feeding me perfect balls to put goals in the net — I was lucky to be able to play with the girls that I did, and having them here helped me win National Player of the Year."

O'Donnell, who was also named the Sportswoman of the Year by the Women's Sports Foundation earlier this season, claimed her fourth ACC Offensive Player of the Year award on Nov. 3, becoming the first field hockey player to accomplish the feat in the ACC.

This season, O'Donnell scored 32 goals and dished out 34 assists for a total of 98 points, a single-season Terp record. Her 306 career points are a league record and the third-best mark in Division I history.

The Terps won their seventh national title Sunday, defeating North Carolina, 3-2, in double overtime off a rocket shot from midfielder Megan Frazer. O'Donnell helped set up the game-winning play, forcing a Tar Heel turnover before feeding a pass to Frazer just outside of the shooting circle.

With her Terp career over, O'Donnell is turning her attention to the U.S. National Team. After this semester, O'Donnell will travel to San Diego on Jan. 17 to begin training with the team.

She plans on spending one and a half years with the national squad, playing in competitions such as the 2011 Pan American Games and the 2012 Summer Olympics, before returning to the university for one final year to finish the requirements for her degree in education.

But before moving forward, O'Donnell couldn't help taking a look back.

"I've had an amazing four years here," O'Donnell said after Sunday's national championship game. "I think I picked the best absolute school for me — hockey-wise, social-wise, academically. This place has been my home for the past four years. ... I couldn't have asked for a better four years and, let alone, a better senior year."

jengelke@umdbk.com