Saint Martin Earns National Defensive Player of the Week Honor
11/12/2025 11:03:00 AM | Field Hockey
LYNCHBURG, Va. – After a strong performance in helping lead Liberty to the 2025 BIG EAST Championship title this past weekend, goalkeeper Diane Saint Martin has earned the National Field Hockey Coaches (NFHCA) Division I Defensive Player of the Week award.
Saint Martin, the 2025 BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year, is the first national player of the week of the season for Liberty. The Lady Flames have featured three national player of the week honorable mention selections this year in Saint Martin (Oct. 29, defensive), Zoé Gaillard (Oct. 8, offensive) and Lou Combrinck (Sept. 3, offensive).
With seven awards, Saint Martin matches her teammate Dara Semmartin for the most combined weekly awards between national and BIG EAST Conference honors this year. Saint Martin is the first Liberty NFHCA Division I Defensive Player of the Week since Michaela Skinner, who earned the distinction on Sept. 18, 2024.
The freshman from Paris, France was named a BIG EAST All-Tournament team selection for her efforts at the BIG EAST Championship against No. 2 seed Connecticut (Sunday) and No. 3 seed Villanova (Friday). In two games at the BIG EAST Tournament, Saint Martin posted a 2-0 record, 0.98 goals-against average, nine saves and a .818 save percentage. The netminder made seven saves in the 2-1 overtime title game victory over UConn, including a crucial penalty corner stop to help send the game to an extra stanza.
In Friday's 3-1 triumph over the Villanova Wildcats, Saint Martin made a pair of saves in 60 minutes of action to pick up the win. On the year, the freshman sports a 17-2 record with a 0.84 goals-against average, 55 saves, a .775 save percentage and eight shutouts (tied for most in program history). Saint Martin has the fifth-best goals-against average (0.84) in the nation and is the fourth-winningest goalkeeper (by percentage, .895) in the country. She also ranks 10th in the country in save percentage (.775). Saint Martin leads the BIG EAST in each of the three aforementioned statistical categories.
In 11 weeks, the Lady Flames have earned 27 total weekly awards (three national, 23 BIG EAST) – one NFHCA Division I Defensive Player of the Week award, two NFHCA Division I Offensive Player of the Week honorable mention selections, one NFHCA Division I Defensive Player of the Week honorable mention distinction, five defensive player of the week awards, three offensive player of the week honors, four freshman of the week accolades and seven weekly honor roll selections.
Saint Martin and No. 6 Liberty (17-2) are preparing for the 2025 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship. The Lady Flames will face No. 10 Syracuse (12-6) in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16, Friday at 2:30 p.m. at Princeton's Bedford Field in Princeton, N.J. The game will air live on ESPN+.
Saint Martin, the 2025 BIG EAST Goalkeeper of the Year, is the first national player of the week of the season for Liberty. The Lady Flames have featured three national player of the week honorable mention selections this year in Saint Martin (Oct. 29, defensive), Zoé Gaillard (Oct. 8, offensive) and Lou Combrinck (Sept. 3, offensive).
With seven awards, Saint Martin matches her teammate Dara Semmartin for the most combined weekly awards between national and BIG EAST Conference honors this year. Saint Martin is the first Liberty NFHCA Division I Defensive Player of the Week since Michaela Skinner, who earned the distinction on Sept. 18, 2024.
The freshman from Paris, France was named a BIG EAST All-Tournament team selection for her efforts at the BIG EAST Championship against No. 2 seed Connecticut (Sunday) and No. 3 seed Villanova (Friday). In two games at the BIG EAST Tournament, Saint Martin posted a 2-0 record, 0.98 goals-against average, nine saves and a .818 save percentage. The netminder made seven saves in the 2-1 overtime title game victory over UConn, including a crucial penalty corner stop to help send the game to an extra stanza.
In Friday's 3-1 triumph over the Villanova Wildcats, Saint Martin made a pair of saves in 60 minutes of action to pick up the win. On the year, the freshman sports a 17-2 record with a 0.84 goals-against average, 55 saves, a .775 save percentage and eight shutouts (tied for most in program history). Saint Martin has the fifth-best goals-against average (0.84) in the nation and is the fourth-winningest goalkeeper (by percentage, .895) in the country. She also ranks 10th in the country in save percentage (.775). Saint Martin leads the BIG EAST in each of the three aforementioned statistical categories.
In 11 weeks, the Lady Flames have earned 27 total weekly awards (three national, 23 BIG EAST) – one NFHCA Division I Defensive Player of the Week award, two NFHCA Division I Offensive Player of the Week honorable mention selections, one NFHCA Division I Defensive Player of the Week honorable mention distinction, five defensive player of the week awards, three offensive player of the week honors, four freshman of the week accolades and seven weekly honor roll selections.
Saint Martin and No. 6 Liberty (17-2) are preparing for the 2025 NCAA Division I Field Hockey Championship. The Lady Flames will face No. 10 Syracuse (12-6) in the NCAA Tournament Sweet 16, Friday at 2:30 p.m. at Princeton's Bedford Field in Princeton, N.J. The game will air live on ESPN+.
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