NFHCA All-Region Teams

BROCKPORT, N.Y. -- Four Captains secured All-Region honors from the National Field Hockey Coaches Association on Monday morning as Abby Asuncion and Izzy Diz picked up first-team plaudits, while Marcella Sabbagh and Mauri Ware collected second-team accolades after starring for Christopher Newport throughout the 2021 campaign.
 
The awards were the first for Diz, Sabbagh, and Ware. Meanwhile, Asuncion's honor marked the second of her career after she was previously named to the first-team All-Region squad as a freshman in 2019. She joins former legend Kim Tomlin and Christopher Newport Hall of Famers Caitlin Cahill, Marlene Lichty, Jacque Mayer, and Belle Tunstall as the only two-time first-team All-Region selections in school history.
  
Overall, the four All-Region honorees equaled the third-most in program history, trailing only the five award-winners from the 2017 and 2018 squads.
 
Continuing to solidify her spot as one of the finest midfielders in the nation, Asuncion pieced together a remarkable junior campaign. During the 2021 season, she was named the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference Offensive Player of the Year after tying for the league-lead with 13 goals. She also equaled her career-high with 29 points, which placed her second among conference competitors.
 
A lethal threat on the offensive side of the ball, Asuncion posted four multi-goal efforts during the season, including four strikes at Washington & Lee on September 11. She also added three goals in a win over Catholic on September 15, becoming just the fifth player in program history to record a pair of hat-tricks in a single campaign.
 
Vaulting up the career charts, Asuncion already ranks 10th in school history with 27 goals. The Sterling, Virginia native also eclipsed the 50-point plateau in her 28th collegiate appearance earlier this fall, becoming the third-fastest Captain to reach that milestone.
 
Anchoring the defensive unit, Diz was a dominant presence throughout her senior campaign. Putting a lid on opposing attacks, she continued to frustrate the opposition with relentless pressure. Over the course of the season, she helped the Captains register seven shutouts while holding opposing teams to a .529 shot-on-goal percentage, which marked the finest rate in school history.
 
On an individual level, Diz blanketed attackers from her perch in the center of the back line. During the season, she blocked a team-high 17 shots, including 11 stops on corner attempts. Incredibly, she had two or more deflections in five of her appearances, including both postseason contests. For her work, she was a two-time Coast-to-Coast Conference Defensive Player of the Week honoree during the year.
 
A two-time All-Conference performer, Diz was also named to the NFHCA Senior All-Star Team for her work in 2021. In her four years with the Captains, the Alexandria, Virginia native ranks in the top-20 all-time with six defensive saves and 3,154 minutes of action.
 
A dynamic force on both ends of the field, Sabbagh pieced together a sensational junior season. She led the conference with six defensive saves and eight assists, becoming the first player in over 15 years to lead the league in both categories. She also added seven goals and was one of only four players from any level of the NCAA to finish 2021 with at least five strikes, five helpers, and five defensive saves.
 
From October 3-17, Sabbagh became just the 11th player in school history to register a goal in four straight games. She capped off that stretch by becoming the first Captain to convert two strokes in a single contest during a win over Sewanee. Meanwhile, on the other end, the Lewes, Delaware native posted four defensive saves against nationally-ranked competition and helped anchor the penalty corner defense throughout the year.
 
Rounding out the All-Region honorees, Ware paced the attack while torching opposing defenses. During her senior campaign, she ranked third in the conference with six assists and fourth with 10 goals and 26 total points. Making a consistent impact on the offensive side of the ball, she registered at least one point in 10 of her appearances, including four multi-goal efforts.
 
Showing a knack for coming through in clutch situations, Ware landed three-game winning goals during the season and assisted on three other clinchers, including the winner in a 1-0 victory over No. 20 Salisbury. Starring against nationally-ranked competition, she also added a pair of tallies at No. 2 Johns Hopkins on September 28. Additionally, the Hayes, Virginia native served as the chief inserter on the squad's lethal penalty corner unit, which produced 13 goals during the year, marking the highest total in program history.
 
Aided by the efforts of the four All-Region performers, Christopher Newport finished the 2021 campaign ranked 17th in the nation after compiling an 11-6 record. Along the way, the Captains advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the 10th time in school history while claiming the regular season conference title.
 
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