ITHACA, N.Y. – Cornell sophomore Catie De Stio headlines a list of five Big Red field hockey players named to the All-Ivy teams, as was announced by the conference office this afternoon. De Stio, a unanimous selection, is joined on the first-team by senior defender Belen Martinez and junior goalkeeper Melanie Jue, while senior forward Abbi Horn earned second-team honors and sophomore midfielder Kate Thompson was an honorable mention selection. The five All-Ivy selections for the Big Red are the most in program history.

 

“It is an honor for the  Big Red field hockey program to see five of our players recognized in this manner,” said head coach Donna Hornibrook. “We all take pride in their well deserved accomplishments. It is a tribute not only to the hard work, talent and dedication of the individuals recognized, but  it is also a reflection of the successful season the team had due to the collective efforts of  the entire team.”

 

De Stio, an honorable mention selection following her rookie year, led Cornell with 10 goals and six assists for 26 points on the season, ranking her ninth overall in Cornell history for goals and points in a single-season. She also led the Big Red in goals (5) and assists (2) during conference play and registered at least one point in six of Cornell's last eight games. For the season, De Stio registered four game-winning goals, good for first in the conference and tied for second overall in Cornell history for game-winners in a single season. De Stio was named the Ivy League Player of the Week on Oct. 7 after registering game-winning goals against both Yale and Lehigh. De Stio also tallied a hat-trick against Bryant and had a hand in all three goals, scoring two and assisting on one, as the Big Red defeated Dartmouth in the season finale.

 

Martinez earns her second straight first-team All-Ivy selection after earning second-team honors in each of her first two seasons. A second-team Mideast Region All-American in both 2005 and 2007, she was named to the 2008 NFHCA Division I Senior All-Star team, one of just two Ivy League players to make the squad. A two-time team captain, Martinez is the heart of the Cornell defensive unit that allowed less than 10 shots per game and just 5.4 penalty corners per game, the best school average since the stat began to be recorded in 1998. She will also leave as one of the school's top offensive threats, ranking seventh in career goals (17), ninth in career points (45) and ninth in career assists (12). A two-time defensive MVP for the Big Red, she started every game during her Cornell career.

 

After taking a two-year hiatus from field hockey, Jue joined the Big Red field hockey team prior to the 2008 season and immediately took over a starting role in-between the pipes. Jue, a two-sport athlete at Cornell, spent much of the season ranked in the top-20 in the nation in both save percentage and goals-against average before finishing 24th overall with a .742 save percentage and 29th in the country with a 1.66 GAA. She posted an 11-4 record with three shutouts, including one in Ivy League action. She was named the Ivy League Rookie of the Week on Sept. 9 after helping the Big Red open the season with a 1-1 record. In her first collegiate start, she made 19 saves against No. 19 Albany before dropping a 1-0 decision to the Great Danes. The 19 saves were the most since Kaitlin Tierney stopped 20 shots vs. Princeton on Oct. 21, 2000, and were the third-highest number of saves in the nation this season by a goalie in a single game.

 

Horn earns her first All-Ivy accolade after ranking second on the team in assists (5) and third in goals (7). She will leave her mark on the Cornell record books as one of the most proficient scorers in school history, sitting in fifth place in career assists (15) and in seventh place in both career goals (17) and career points (49). Earlier this season, Horn posted a hat trick against Georgetown, the best single-game performance by a Cornell player since Gina Testa tallied four scores at Rutgers on Oct. 31, 2004. She saw action in every game during her career, making 37 starts. One of the team's three captains during the 2008 campaign, Horn proved to be a clutch player as a junior when the first two goals she scored during the season were game-winners against Ivy League opponents in the final minute of regulation (Princeton – 21 seconds remaining and Brown – 46 seconds remaining). She has been named the Ivy League Player of the Week twice during her career and was named the team's Offensive MVP following the 2006 season.

 

Thompson earns the second honorable mention selection of her career after leading the Big Red with six assists and adding three goals for 12 points on the season. Her lone goal during Ivy League play proved to be the game-winning goal against Penn. A phenomenal two-way player at the center-midfield position, Thompson used her outstanding stick skills and athleticism to distribute the ball in the middle, while defending some of the best players in the conference.

 

The 2008 Cornell field hockey team established a new school record for wins (11) and conference wins in a season (6) and finished the season ranked second in Ivy League for the third year in a row. The team also set a new school record for goals (45), assists (38) and points (128) in a season.