Cookman and Meijer Highlight 10 America East Conference Awards

BOSTON – Junior forward Tasmin Cookman (London, England) was named Offensive Player of the Year and freshman midfielder Faye Meijer (Purmerend, Netherlands) was named Rookie of the Year to highlight a total of 10 America East all-conference awards received by the University of New Hampshire field hockey team on Wednesday.

Cookman, who repeated as Offensive Player of the Year, was joined on the All-Conference First Team by fellow junior captain Nicole Poulakis (Ajax, Ontario), who was also selected to the All-Academic Team.

Meijer was joined on the All-Conference Second Team by sophomore Kathelijne Knuttel (Groningen, Netherlands) and fellow freshman Abby Johnson (Walpole, Mass.).

Meijer and Johnson were both named to the All-Rookie Team.

UNH begins postseason play Nov. 8 with an America East semifinal against the winner of third-seeded Maine vs. sixth-seeded UC Davis. Game time is 11 a.m. at UAlbany.

Cookman, a three-time All-Conference First Team honoree, enters the week ranked No. 21 in the nation in goals per game (0.72) and 25^th in points per game (1.67). Those numbers rank fourth in America East in goals per game and fifth in points per game. She ranks second on the team in both goals (13) and points (30), as well as tied for second in assists (four).

In conference-only games, Cookman is atop the America East leaderboard in both goals per game (1.00) and points per game (2.17).

Cookman scored a goal in 10 of 18 games with a point in 11 games. She scored two goals in a game three times, including against conference foes Bryant and Vermont. Cookman had a season-high five-game goal streak spanning Sept. 27 to Oct. 11.

Cookman is the first Wildcat to earn consecutive Offensive Player of the Year awards. The other four UNH recipients are Marcie Boyer (2002), Sarah Craigue (2008), Meg Shea (2009) and Whitney Frates (2011).

Meijer led the league with four Rookie of the Week awards in 2024 as she received the honor four times in October – Oct. 1, 8, 22 and 29. She is one of two America East players to reach double digits in assists with 10 and ranks second in assists per game (0.556). Meijer is also No. 9 in points per game (1.22). On the UNH leaderboard, she is first in assists, third in points (22) and fourth in goals (six).

Meijer's season highlights include a five-game point streak from Sept. 20 to Oct. 4 with a career-high three assists vs. Providence, as well as bests of two goals and six points against Merrimack. In six conference games, Meijer tallied two goals and three assists for seven points.

Meijer is the fifth UNH Wildcat named Rookie of the Year; the previous recipients were Amy Agulay (1997), Katie White (2002), Maura Verleg (2019) and Cookman (2022).

Poulakis was named to both the First Team and All-Academic Team for the second consecutive year. The junior midfielder ranks third on the team in goals (nine) and fourth in points (20), as well as tied for the lead in game-winning goals (three).

Poulakis recorded a point in 10 of 18 games with a goal in nine. She scored a goal three consecutive games Oct. 6-18 and had a goal in back-to-back games two other times. She also had a three-game point streak Sept. 22-29.

In five games against nationally-ranked teams, Poulakis tallied two goals and an assist for five points. Also of note, she recorded four goals and an assist for nine points in six conference games.

Knuttel enters the week ranked No. 6 in the nation in goals per game (0.94) and 11^th in points per game (2.12); both those numbers rank second in America East. The sophomore forward is UNH's leader in both goals (16) and points (36), and she is tied atop the team leaderboard in game-winning goals (three). She is also tied for second in assists. On the conference leaderboard, she ranks seventh in goals and is tied for ninth in points.

In conference-only games, Knuttel is No. 2 in goals per game (0.80) and No. 3 in points per game (1.80). She tallied two goals and an assist in five games vs. nationally-ranked opponents.

Knuttel tallied a goal in 12 of 17 games this season with a six-game goal streak that spanned Sept. 14- to Oct. 4. She scored multiple goals in a game three times with a career high of three, as well as a personal-best seven points, against Providence.

Her regular-season accolades included America East Offensive Player of the Week (Oct. 1).

Johnson started 16 games in 17 appearances and played 881 minutes, 27 seconds of a possible 1093:36 (81%). Johnson had an 8-7 record with a 2.11 GAA, .677 save percentage and three shutouts; she was also part of two combined shutouts.

In conference play, Johnson went 4-2 with a 1.87 GAA, .732 save percentage and one shutout.

Johnson's highlights included a shutout streak of 190:57, during which her six-save shutout of UMass Lowell was sandwiched by a pair of shared shutouts. She made a career-high 12 saves in the regular-season finale at Maine.

Johnson received four America East weekly awards with an even split of two Defensive Player of the Week awards (Sept. 10; Oct. 29) and two Rookie of the Week honors (Sept. 10; Oct. 15).

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