Field Hockey Named Philadelphia Sports Writers Association’s Team of the Year
Saint Joseph's field hockey team will be honored at the 120th Annual PSWA Banquet on Jan. 16.
Photo Credit: Mike Mulholland
The Saint Joseph's field hockey team has been named the Philadelphia Sports Writers Association's Team of the Year, the organization has announced.
The Hawks will be honored during the PSWA's annual awards dinner, to be held on January 16.
Recent winners of the award include the 2022 National League champion Philadelphia Phillies and the 2018 Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. Previous winners of the prestigious honor also include the Hawks' 2003-04 men's basketball team, the 1999 U.S. Women's National Team that won the FIFA Women's World Cup, the 1992 U.S. Olympic men's basketball team known as "The Dream Team," and the 1980 U.S. Olympic ice hockey team.
The Hawks made history this season, winning a program-record 20 games en route to their fourth consecutive Atlantic 10 championship. After earning the highest ranking in both program and conference history, coming in at number three in the final NFHCA Coaches Poll of the season, Saint Joseph's hosted the First and Second Rounds of the NCAA Tournament for the first time; the Hawks then topped #20 Lafayette and #13 Princeton to advance to the program's first-ever Final Four.
In the national semifinals in Ann Arbor, Michigan, the Hawks were pitted against the top-ranked, top-seeded, and previously unbeaten two-time national champions in #1 North Carolina; Manu Ghigliotti scored twice and the Hawk defense played the game of its life to defeat the Tar Heels, 2-1, and send the Hawks to the national championship game, where they ultimately fell to #2 Northwestern.
The Hawks captured the hearts of the University community, the Philadelphia region, and the field hockey world as they became the first Saint Joseph's team to compete in an NCAA national championship game, making their mark in history over the course of a legendary season.
The 120th annual Philadelphia Sports Writers Association Banquet is set for Jan. 16, 2025, at the DoubleTree by Hilton (formerly the Crowne Plaza) in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. For more information on this year's honored guests or to purchase tickets, click here.
This news article originally appeared on sjuhawks.com.
