St. Mary’s City, Md. — Three seniors from the St. Mary’s College of Maryland field hockey team earned spots on the 2025 National Field Hockey Coaches Association Division III All-Region IV teams, announced December 3. Jena Vanskiver of Fallston, Maryland, and Brenna Ziegler of Newark, Delaware, secured first-team selections, while Emma Watkins of Frederick, Maryland, repeated on the second team. The awards, sponsored by Apex Field Hockey, recognize standout performances across the region.
The trio appeared on the NFHCA Watchlist released August 27 to begin the season. They also collected first-team All-United East Conference honors November 11, with Vanskiver named the 2025 United East Defensive Player of the Year. St. Mary’s College finished the year with a 14-5 overall record, claiming both the United East regular-season and tournament titles for the second straight year. The Seahawks advanced to their third consecutive NCAA Division III Field Hockey Championship Tournament appearance, the third in program history.
Vanskiver, a 5-foot-3 defender, claimed her first all-region nod after a four-year career marked by consistent conference recognition. She led the United East with seven defensive saves, ranking 20th nationally in Division III. Vanskiver contributed four goals and two assists in 2025 while captaining the team. On September 13 at Salisbury University, she set the program’s all-time defensive saves record with her 16th, surpassing the 15 held by Mia Oliver from the class of 2004 and Julia Puzak from the class of 2010. She earned United East Defensive Player of the Week honors twice during the season. Over 75 career starts, Vanskiver amassed 21 defensive saves, nine goals and seven assists.
Ziegler, a 5-foot-9 forward, became the second Seahawk to earn four all-region awards, joining Charlotte Horn from the class of 2025. Ziegler received first-team honors in 2023 and 2025, with second-team selections in 2022 and 2024. She ranked second in the United East with 15 goals, eight assists and 38 points, tying for third with four game-winning goals. Ziegler collected United East Offensive Player of the Week awards September 8 and October 13. During the season, she broke four program records: assists on August 30, points on September 10, goals on September 28 and game-winning goals on October 8. She eclipsed marks set by Lauriann Parker from the class of 2013, who held 111 points, 44 goals, 23 assists and 12 game-winning goals. Ziegler concluded with 55 goals, 31 assists, 141 points and 13 game-winning goals across 73 starts.
Watkins, a 4-foot-11 forward, capped her career with a second straight second-team all-region selection and two first-team All-United East nods. She tied for the conference lead with seven game-winning goals, ranked third with 13 goals and fourth with 28 points, adding two assists. As team captain, Watkins took United East Offensive Player of the Week on October 20. In 71 games with 45 starts, she totaled 33 goals, five assists, 71 points and 10 game-winning goals.
The Seahawks maintained a five-year undefeated streak in conference regular-season play, going 26-0 since joining the United East. In 2025, St. Mary’s College topped the conference preseason poll with four first-place votes and went 4-0 in league games to secure the top seed. They defeated Penn State Harrisburg 2-0 in the tournament semifinal November 2 and Wilson College 4-0 in the final November 9 to earn the automatic NCAA qualifier. The team fell 3-1 to No. 2 Salisbury in the NCAA first round November 13. United East standings placed Penn State Harrisburg second at 3-1, Wilson third at 2-2, Cedar Crest fourth at 1-3 and Gallaudet fifth at 0-4.
The NFHCA All-Region program divides Division III into six regions, with Region IV encompassing teams from Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Pennsylvania and the District of Columbia. Selections are based on nominations from member coaches, evaluating regular-season performance, statistics and contributions to team success. In 2025, Region IV first team included 16 players, with St. Mary’s College claiming two spots alongside honorees from Salisbury, Rowan and others. The second team featured 16 more, including Watkins. Overall, 18 Seahawks have earned 30 all-region awards in program history.
These awards cap a milestone season for St. Mary’s College, building on a history that includes 11 conference championships across affiliations. The program’s record book, updated annually, tracks individual and team marks, with Ziegler’s entries marking a new era of offensive dominance. As Division III emphasizes balance between academics and athletics, the Seahawks’ achievements align with NFHCA goals of promoting the sport at all levels.