CHESTERTOWN — Washington College senior forward Kat Esposito of Severna Park, a double major in anthropology and art, is the Centennial Conference Scholar-Athlete of the Year for field hockey. That means she is the All-Centennial performer with junior or senior standing who has the highest cumulative grade point average.
In voting this fall by the Centennial Conference’s 11 head field hockey coaches, Esposito was placed on the elite first team. She led the 10-8 Shore ladies in goals (15) and points (33); six of her goals were game-winners.
Esposito punctuated her outstanding college career as a member of the National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division III Senior Team — one of just 60 players from 46 schools across the country — and an All-Region V performer for the third time.
She finished her career with 46 goals and eight assists for 100 points, becoming just the third player in program history to reach the century mark. This is a remarkable accomplishment since she did so in just three seasons (53 career games with 49 starts); she missed all of 2023 because of injury.
Esposito holds program records for goals in a season by a freshman (13) and points in a season by a freshman (27), established in 2021, and shares the record for goals in a season (18) in 2022.
On Oct. 2, she joined the elite 40-goal club with a pair of scores that helped Washington send conference rival McDaniel home saddled with a 5-0 loss.
Only three other Shore ladies have scored 40 or more career goals on the hockey pitch — All-American Laura Scimeca ’05 (58), Chestertown’s own Christyl Arrabal ’00 (43) and Nicole Maccari ’01 (41). Scimeca and Arrabal are members of the Washington College athletic hall of fame.
Esposito and eight other Washington fall athletes earned Academic All-Centennial distinction by being named an all-conference performer and qualifying for the Academic Honor Roll in the same season.
Academic Honor Roll student-athletes have a cumulative grade point average of at least 3.40 on a 4.0 scale. Freshmen are not eligible.
Esposito qualified for the Academic Honor Roll for a third year in a row.
Also from the Shore ladies’ field hockey team, junior MaryCate Anson (Newark, Del., Newark Charter High School) repeated on the Academic All-Centennial squad. She earned honorable mention in all-star voting.
Four members of the women’s soccer team earned Academic All-Centennial honors, all for the first time: sophomores Olivia Allen (West Pittston, Pa), Kaileigh Brady (Hockessin, Del., St. Mark’s), Sophie Kilbride (Lewisburg, Pa.) and Grace Morris (Warren, N.J.). In all-star voting by the conference coaches, Allen was placed on the All-Centennial second team, while Brady, Kilbride and Morris earned honorable mention.
Three members of the men’s soccer team also qualified for Academic All-Centennial recognition for the first time: senior Cole White (Seaford, Del., Sussex Academy); junior Tyler Davidson (Medford, N.J.); and junior Ryan Sharpley (Medford, N.J.). White was an all-conference second-team honoree, while Davidson and Sharpley received honorable mention.
All told, the women’s soccer team had 18 players who qualified for the conference’s Academic Honor Roll. They include fifth-years Amity Harrington (Island Heights, N.J.) and Rory Miller (Henrico, Va.); seniors Karolina Bocul (Willow Grove, Pa.), Reagan Longridge (Lititz, Pa.), Emily Morris (Warren, N.J.), Andrea Norman (Fairfield, N.J.) and Kayla Streett (Bel Air, Fallston); juniors Ellie Cardillo (Takoma Park, Montgomery Blair), Maddy Gaydon (Gettysburg, Pa.), Dahlia Kuzemka (Wallingford, Pa.) and Hailey Sharpe (Holmdel, N.J.); and sophomores Mackenzie Coupe (Eagleville, Pa.), Audrey MacNair (Lansdale, Pa.) and Gina Phillips (Mount Joy, Pa.).
In addition to Anson and Esposito, 10 members of the field hockey team qualified for the Academic Honor Roll. They are: senior Zoe Shevitz (Annapolis, Broadneck); juniors Emma Campbell (Baltimore, Bryn Mawr), Emily Marson (Cockeysville, Maryvale Prep), Samantha McMahon (Bear, Del., Appoqunimink), Kendal Thomson (Catonsville, Mount de Sales Academy) and Julia Weglarz (Bear, Del., Appoquinimink); and sophomores Charlotte Schurman (Manchester, Manchester Valley), Ashley Swan (Lusby, Patuxent), Grace Walsh (Glen Mills, Pa.) and Natalie Watkinson (Princess Anne, Washington).
The men’s soccer team had 11 players qualify for the Academic Honor Roll. They include fifth-years Zak Burgess (Media, Pa.), Anthony Pinto (Matawan, N.J.) and Christopher Pinto (Matawan, N.J.); seniors Sebastien Linares (Reisterstown, Loyola Blakefield) and Dominic Miller (Brentwood, Tenn.); junior Michael Daniello (Lewes, Del., Sussex Academy); and sophomores Evan Souder (Severna Park, Severna Park) and Tucker Sprano (Annandale, Va).
Six members of the volleyball team qualified for the conference’s Academic Honor Roll: seniors Colette Franck (Kennett Square, Pa.) and Lindsay Saddic (Downingtown, Pa.); juniors Logan Kenny (Boiling Springs, S.C.), Allison McKechnie (Aliso Viejo, Calif.) and Gianna Romano (Millsboro, Del., Smyrna); and sophomore Anna Titter (York, Pa.).