Maryland senior captain Linnea Gonzales was announced as the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Player of the Year on Monday after a successful 2018 campaign.
Congrats to Linnea Gonzales, your NFHCA National Player of the Year! https://t.co/lI69usgyHS pic.twitter.com/ZuO14Lrkkk
— Maryland Field Hockey (@TerpsFH) December 10, 2018
Gonzales also earned Big Ten Player of the Year, NFHCA’s Mid-Atlantic Player of the Year, and was named First Team All-Big Ten after the 2018 season, in which she finished with career highs of 14 goals and 33 points.
During her career at Maryland, Gonzales started all 94 games. She tallied up 43 goals and 13 assists, while helping the team win two Big Ten tournament titles, three Big Ten regular-season titles, and four NCAA Tournament appearances that resulted in back-to-back trips to the national final. Last month, the Terrapins reach the NCAA Tournament Final, but fell, 2-0, to undefeated North Carolina.
Gonzales was one of three Maryland players to be named NFHCA All-Americans in 2018, joining defenders Bodil Keus and Nike Lorenz. Gonzales and Keus earned first-team honors, while Lorenz was part of the second team. This was Gonzales’ second All-American honor, as she made the second-team in 2015. The NFHCA also awarded Maryland’s coaching staff with the honor of best regional coaching staff.
Gonzales will certainly be missed in College Park due to her positivity and determination, but the Terrapins showed tremendous strides this season. Freshman Bibi Donraadt as well as core defenders Nike Lorenz, Bodil Keus and Hannah Bond will all push to fill the void and hopefully become the next Terrapin to win this honor.
Maryland assistant coach Katie Bam was the only other Terrapin to earn the NFHCA Player of the Year award, back in 2010 under maiden name Katie O’Donnell.