New Paltz Sports Information Department
GENEVA, NY — Hannah Ackerman officially etched her name as one of the best players to ever play for the State University of New York at New Paltz field hockey team Tuesday.
With the release of the 2023 National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) Division III All-American team, Ackerman became just the second Hawk to be named as a first-team selection, joining former teammate and 2022 alumna Jessica Ascecnao and just the sixth All-American recognized in program history.
"It definitely felt unreal at first. I wasn't expecting it… and getting the news that I was recognized for that was very exciting and made me more excited to keep going and just keep moving forward from this award and end on the highest note I can," Ackerman said. "It was definitely a goal of mine. I just want to get myself to the best I can be skill wise, teammate, leader — any aspect that I can be better, I want to be that."
Ackerman led SUNY New Paltz to a regional standing in 2023, along with an appearance in the conference finals for the second time in three seasons. And, although the team just missed their goal of another SUNYAC title and an NCAA Tournament run, Ackerman's skillset still stood out as she was named one of top-16 players in Division III field hockey.
"When Hannah plays, she has a very distinct style and skill. She is reliable, very hard to shut down. You know she'll be tightly marked out of the gate. Her hockey I.Q. is excellent and she's a player that really makes a difference on the field, no matter who we're playing against. I've always said it, she's one of, if not the best player on the field and I'm glad she finally got recognized for what she deserved," said Hawks coach Shanna Szablinski. "I always thought that this was going to happen. When? I didn't know, but I think what's really amazing to see is that she was recognized by our coaching body that they know she is extremely talented, extremely beneficial to our program and that she is one of the best players in the country. How she prepared and what she did, didn't go unnoticed by the people around us. I knew it, but it was really great to see other people realize how truly special she is and honored she was named an All-American."
Ackerman joins elite company on the program's All-American list, which includes Antonija Pjetri (2012), Jessica Caruana (2015), Ascencao (2021), Natasia Plunkett (2022) and SUNY New Paltz Athletics Hall of Famer, and older sister Dani Ackerman (2014 & 2015).
"When I found out it almost made me cry because I just look up to my sisters so much," said Ackerman as her two older sisters, alumnae Dani '16 and Samantha '19 also starred for NPFH. "We are different ages, so we never got to see what our skill levels were like so just to be compared to them at all is crazy and so important to me because they're the reason why I started playing to begin with. To show them everything they taught me and gotten me into has paid off means a lot to me and I know it means just as much to them too."
Like her fellow Hawks who were previously named to the All-America team, Ackerman has been crucial to the program's success throughout her career, but especially this past fall playing in the middle of the field for SUNY New Paltz. She started in all 19 games in 2023 at center midfield and logged a career-high 1,204 minutes of action — most on the team.
"We didn't take her out no matter what. She's in the center of the field so everything goes through her," Szablinski said. "She protects the center defensively, but she also distributes very well, and she can generate an attack. We kept her in too because not only is she a great player, but she also makes the players around her better and she's the key ingredient for our recipe so that was really important."
The NFHCA named 48 student-athletes from across the country to the illustrious 2023 Division III All-American squad through three teams with 16 named to the first, second and third team, respectively. Ackerman was the only representative from the SUNYAC to make the first-team list and was joined by only SUNY Cortland's Hannah Corrigan (second team) on the 2023 NFHCA Division III All-American team from the SUNYAC.
Recently becoming the program's second three-time NFHCA All-Region selection, Ackerman was also named to the NFHCA Senior All-Star team proving herself as one of the best in the nation after a career year in her third season. She set a career-high in assists, leading her team with 13 while adding seven goals for 27 points, second most for SUNY New Paltz. The Nesconset, NY native was clutch as well, going a perfect 4-for-4 in penalty strokes and registered at least a point in 12 of 19 games including a goal and an assist to lead the Hawks past SUNY Geneseo in the SUNYAC Semifinal round.
"Hannah loves what she does," Szablinski said. "She works really hard and smart. She is passionate about playing. She is passionate about being a champion and making sure her teammates are doing the things necessary to be successful too. It's what she loves to do and that doesn't put pressure on her and if anything, she's very humble and that's going to make her want to be even more successful as a team not as an individual. She's just a player that has that passion and works really hard and has that work ethic and it's just going to make her want to do more come this year."
Returning for her final season in 2024, Ackerman can etch her name further into the program record books as she currently stands in the top-10 in career goals (24), assists (28) and points (76), as she entrenches her status as one of the best players to ever suit up for the Hawks.
However, individual accolades are not in the forefront heading into the year, but instead she is focused on bringing SUNY New Paltz back atop the conference once again putting her career in full circle. SUNY New Paltz's most recent title run came in 2021 in Ackerman's first season when she was named as the SUNYAC Tournament MVP after helping the Hawks to their sixth SUNYAC title and second round NCAA Tournament run.
"It's motivating because it's not a one and done for me," she said. "I just want to keep going, try and get it again and if there's anything higher, I just want to strive for that too because any opportunity to play just means the world to me. Getting this extra year with or without the award I would have been just as motivated to become the best player I can before I'm all done," she said. "I'm beyond grateful for the award, but I'm just happy to be able to continue playing and that opportunity alone is good enough for me. I will continue to strive for All-American next year, but even if I didn't [receive the award again], I just want to motive others around me to get to that point too. It's just an honor to be recognized once.
"Definitely grateful for all of the coaching staff, my teammates, my previous teammates, my sisters obviously — I would not be here without any of them. They made me the player I am."
To see the full NFHCA DIII All-American team and read more, click here.
