NESCAC Release

Senior Madie Leidt (Des Moines, Iowa) was tabbed the 2022 NESCAC Player of the Year and was joined by three Panthers on the All-NESCAC teams when the conference announced its postseason honors on Tuesday. Leidt, junior Jenna Letterie (Winthrop, Mass.) and classmate Claudia Vira (High Bridge, N.J.) each earned first-team laurels, while junior Eva Hendrikson (Edina, Minn.) was selected to the second team. Bill Mandigo reeled in the final accolade for the Panthers, as he was cited as the NESCAC Coach of the Year. Middlebury is 22-0-0 and will serve as the host of the conference semifinal and championship games on Saturday and Sunday in Kenyon Arena.

Leidt was named the player of the year for the second time, earning her previous award in 2020. It was her third-straight All-NESCAC First-Team selection and she was the 2018 NESCAC Rookie of the Year. Leidt is tied for the conference lead in points (27) and is first in goals (16) and game-winning goals (seven). The captain has recorded at least one point in 17 of the 20 games she has played this season and has tallied a pair of hat tricks. Leidt is the ninth Panther to garner NESCAC Player of the Year honors and just the second two-time recipient (Emily Quizon 2005 and 2006).

Mandigo, the winningest coach in women's collegiate hockey with 620 victories, earned coach of the year honors for the fifth time in his career (2004, 2011, 2016 and 2018). His team's 15-0-0 league record marked the first time since the 2008-09 campaign that a NESCAC school went undefeated with no ties during the regular season, while the 22-straight victories is the second-longest winning streak in program history.

Letterie earns All-NESCAC First-Team praise for the second time in her career. She paces the conference in assists (21) and is third in the NESCAC in scoring with 26 points. Letterie has been a consistent performer all season, boasting point streaks of six and seven games. Her biggest goal of the season came in January, as she netted the game-winner in a 2-1 road victory at then-#10 Colby.

Vira receives her first all-conference nod on defense. She is tied for the team lead in points among blueliners with 13 (4G, 9A). She finished the regular season strong, recording points in each of the final five contests. Vira is also part of a defense that leads the country in goals against, allowing just .63 per contest.

Hendrikson receives All-NESCAC Second-Team honors after being a member of the first team in 2019-20. The defender ranks among the team leaders in points (13) and assists (11). She is also a key member of a defense that has recorded nine shutouts and has allowed one goal or less in 21 of 22 games.