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Mari O’Leary is currently a sophomore at the University of Delaware.  Mari entered the team as a freshman last season and proved her position as one of the strongest defenseman. 

She finished the season with 15 points, second place on the team in points.  Mari’s 8 goals and 7 assists shows the versatility of her playing in both the offensive and defensive zones.  Not only is she a great offensive defenseman, she excels in being a defensive defenseman, very difficult to beat one on one. 

Mari finished the season with +14.  Mari’s presence on the ice is so vital to the defense of the Lady Blue Hens and she always has a great attitude.

For Outstanding Defensewoman, UVA proudly nominates Brit Williams.  Brit has served tirelessly as our captain and co-president and leads with a quiet strength that unites our team and acts as a lightning rod to spark great performances in others.  She is routinely matched against our opponent’s top lines and scoring leaders and does an outstanding job of reducing their quality scoring chances. 

In addition to holding down the fort, Brit can transition on a dime and become an offensive threat in the blink of an eye.  She is one of the elite defensewomen in the league with a +24, 6G, 7A, (including 1 PPP and 1 SHG) in 12 regular season games this season.

Iris is everything you'd want in a D.  Cool headed and focused, her smart positioning blocks more shots than we can count and her powerful skating keeps attacks from starting. 

Iris leads our team in goals & points.  She's 8th on the DVCHC point list this season (includes all forwards) & had more goals than any other D in the DVCHC -- 13 in 15 games! 

Her stamina is unmatched.  Roster issues meant Iris was 1 of only 2 or 3 D each game & she's played many times with only 1-3 breaks, ALL GAME!  We've seen Iris block a shot, go end-to-end through an entire team for a point blank chance, then be the 1st on the backcheck to stop the next rush.  After a ten minute shift.

Finally, Iris is a motivating leader, a fantastic example of sportsmanship and was elected our youngest captain ever this year.   She's an outstanding D who never ceases to amaze us.

Julianne was a great leader this season as one of the few returning players on the team. We were always 10 times more confident when she was on the ice, as she barely ever let up a goal.

She was the highest scoring defender on the team, yet she always plays conservatively when needed. Julianne is always willing to share her expertise with the newer players, and she is a great role model on and off the ice.

Katie was a true team player. Katie was one of two of our defense who was asked to do a lot for us through out the season. She was always matched up against every teams top lines and helped lead a defense that ony gave up 2 goals in 9 of 13 regular season games. She was one of the top point getters for defensemen in the DVCHC.
 
Along with playing agaisnt every teams top line Katie was also a very vital player in both our power play and on our penalty kill. In some games she would reach close to over 20-24 minutes of ice time and still have the energy to play that one last shift at the end of the game.  Katie also finished with an amazing plus/minus rating for a defenseman.
 

As a sophomore, once again, Cal U is blessed with solid, young talent and possess a very bright future. Michelle met and exceeded all expectations this with her on-ice play. She stayed relatively healthy and was the most consistent defensive defensewoman we had from the start of the season to the end.

She led all defense in plus/minus and as much as she contributed defensively, she was always in the play contributing offensively as well. Michelle Daley is out defensive woman of the year!
 

Sari was the player that the new girls on the team looked to emulate. She always carried herself with a cool determination, and even in tough situations she didn’t lose her composure.

As a defensewoman, the team could always breathe easier as soon as she had the puck. In front of the net she was strong and stubborn, and she wasn’t afraid of going into the corner to fight for the puck. She constantly challenged the offense in practice, forcing them to try something new in order to get around her. As a senior she was a leader on the ice and on the bench, and always worked with the goalies to improve teamwork.