ERIE, Pa. – Vanessa Upson of the Mercyhurst Women's Hockey team has been named the USCHO National Rookie of the Year. This is the second individual postseason award that the freshman Upson has earned for her rookie season of play, taking home the CHA Rookie of the Year Award last month.
The Stoney Creek, Ontario native burst onto the scene with the Lakers, she scored a goal in her first collegiate game against RIT and never looked back finishing the season as the Lakers leader in points with 39 on 19 goals and 20 assists. She also scored a team leading 5 game winning goals including two overtime winners, one of which made it on to Sportscenter's "Top Ten Plays" the following morning.
Upson was dominant amongst her fellow rookies as well, leading the country in goals by a freshman, assists by a freshman, and points by a freshman. She additionally led all freshman in faceoff wins (291) and was tied with Yale's Vita Poniatovskaia and Saint Anselm's Tyra Turner with two shorthanded goals.
Her season was highlighted by a five point performance back in the Lakers 9-1 dismantling of Franklin Pierce back on October 8th when she scored two goals to go with three assists. She also scored her first collegiate hat-trick this year in the teams 6-1 win against RIT on November 20th.
When asked Head Coach Mike Sisti had this to say about Upson's rookie year, "We are so proud of Vanessa and the wonderful year she had this season. We have been fortunate to have so many amazing people in our program and Vanessa is yet another hard working, talented student-athlete who is thriving in her environment. She proudly competed throughout the season and embraced her role with our team. Her teammates complimented her playing style and she was ready for all the responsibility she earned on the ice. Vanessa is a wonderful person and we are all happy to see her recognized for this tremendous season."
Upson is the first Laker to win the honor since Laker legends Valerie Chouinard and Meghan Agosta won the award back-to-back in the 2006-2007 seasons. This is the second consecutive year that a member from the College Hockey America Conference has won the award with Penn State's Josie Bothun winning the honor last season.
