CAMBRIDGE, Mass. -- With four America East field hockey teams ranked nationally, the 2012 season began over the weekend and a trio from those ranked teams are the first weekly award winners of the season. The honorees were announced Monday afternoon.

Boston University's Jacinda McLeod, the two-time America East Defender of the Year, is the Player of the Week, while teammate Jess Maroney is the first Defensive Player of the Week in conference history and University at Albany's Liza Morgan is the Rookie of the Week.

McLeod (Whangarei, New Zealand) led the 14th-ranked Terriers to a pair of hard-fought victories over the weekend by scoring four times overall and netting both game winners. She scored twice in Friday's 4-3 overtime win against Delaware, tying the contest on a penalty stroke with just 1:35 left in regulation and winning it 5:28 into overtime. McLeod, a senior defender, scored both Boston U. goals in its 2-1 overtime win vs. Rutgers Sunday, answering a Scarlet Knight's score in the 13th minute and securing the win 3:35 into the extra session.

Maroney (Media, Pa.) earned the start in the cage against the Scarlet Knights and made a pair of saves while allowing just one goal to earn her third career victory. The senior goalkeeper made both of her stops in the second half off shots from Rutgers' Cornelia Duffin, including one in the game's final 10 minutes. The America East Defender of the Week Award was implemented in the offseason.

Morgan (Denver, Pa.) scored goals in each of her first two games as a collegian off the bench over the weekend. The freshman forward, who scored on her only two shots, brought Albany to within one in Friday's 3-2 loss at Rutgers. She then found the back of the cage in the 36th minute against Delaware on Sunday to tie the score at two. The 19th-ranked Great Danes went onto win 3-2 in penalty strokes.

America East is one of just three leagues with four team ranked in the preseason NFHCA rankings, joining the ACC and Big Ten. New Hampshire (18th) and Maine (22nd) both dropped a pair of tightly-contests contests against other ranked teams over the weekend.

2012 Field Hockey Weekly Award Winners
Aug. 27 - Player of the Week: Jacinda McLeod (Boston U.); Defensive Player of the Week: Jess Maroney (Boston U.); Rookie of the Week: Liza Morgan (Albany)