PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — A South Jersey field hockey star has earned a high honor.
Rowan University graduate student and midfielder Kristiina Castagnola has been named the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division III Player of the Year.
The honor still seems a bit surreal to Castagnola.
“They told me and I felt all the emotions right away, and then I just feel like it’s not real. I can’t believe it,” said Castagnola. “I feel like someone keeps saying it to me, and every person I’ve seen has congratulated me and I’m like, ‘Are they sure they picked me?”
Castagnola, a Voorhees native and Eastern Regional High School alumna, helped lead Rowan to three appearances in the NCAA National Semifinals during her career.
Related
She leaves Rowan as the program’s all-time leading scorer, and is the first female athlete in Rowan history to earn national player of the year honors in any sport.
“I am just so grateful,” she shared.
“I think back to all the people I’ve played with and all the coaches I’ve had and the different people who have been supporting me throughout the years. And I’m just so grateful and honored to be part of a program like this because I don’t get to be what I am without the people that were around me supporting me, and that includes my teammates, the coaches, the support staff at Rowan and my family, of course. They’re the number one supporters I’ve ever had in my entire life.”
Listen to Matt's full conversation with Castagnola below.