Three skaters from the Adrian College women’s hockey have received All-American honors. Sophomore goalie Denisa Jandova, senior forward Nicole Guagliardo and senior defenseman Kelly O’Sullivan all were named All-Americans. O’Sullivan was named to the first team for the fourth time, whereas Guagliardo and Jandova were named to the second team.
O’Sullivan is the first four-time All-American in Adrian College history and is the third four-time first team All-American in Division III women’s hockey history. She rounded out her senior season with four goals and 22 assists. The 22 assists put her in the top-25 all-time in career assists for NCAA Division III and second among defensemen. She is the tenth women’s hockey player in the NCAA to be a four-time All-American and seventh in Division III.
Here are a few highlights from Saturday's @NCHAhockey Slaats Cup Championship game. @AdrianWHockey was able to claim a 4-0 victory over the Saints!#godawgs #adrian #hockey #actv #bulldogs #d3hky @d3hky @adrianbulldogs @adriancollege pic.twitter.com/hioqLDUJJc
— Adrian College TV (@AdrianCollegeTV) March 9, 2020
The only other four-time first team All-Americans are Catherine Elkins from Middlebury in 2002 and Laura Hurd from Elmira in 2005.
“I honestly don’t know where to start with my thoughts on Kelly,” Adrian head coach Shawn Skelly said. “I have had the pleasure to coach her for 3 out of her 4 years and watched a good player turn into a great player. With this honor today, Kelly becomes one of a select few ever in women’s college hockey history to be a 4-time 1st-team All-American.”
“To make it more amazing of a feat, this 4 year accomplishment makes her the 1st athlete in Adrian College’s 150 years of athletic history in any sport, male or female, to achieve this, solidifying herself as one of the best, if not the best athlete ever to ever attend Adrian College.”
“Yes, she is an amazing talent on the ice but even a better person off the ice becoming a leader for our program and an ambassador for our college. It’s bittersweet knowing her career is over at Adrian and she will be missed by many, but the things she has done for our hockey program are immeasurable. Thanks for everything Kel, Congrats!!!”
In addition to the AHCA All-American accomplishment, O’Sullivan helped lead her team to a conference regular season title and a Slaats Cup title to put them into the NCAA Tournament. O’Sullivan was also named to the NCHA All-Conference list, NCHA All-Tournament list, and was named the NCHA Player of the Year. O’Sullivan was also marked as a finalist for the Laura Hurd Award which goes to the women’s hockey Player of the Year.
Here is @AdrianWHockey Coach Shawn Skelly and @PxPKibbyMatt following Saturday's Slaats Cup @NCHAhockey Championship game#hockey #d3hky #godawgs #Adrian #actv #bulldogs @adrianbulldogs @adriancollege @d3hky pic.twitter.com/v3V9xmLgHK
— Adrian College TV (@AdrianCollegeTV) March 9, 2020
Senior Nicole Guagliardo found her name on the second team All-American list. This is Guagliardo’s first All-American honor. Guagliardo led the Bulldogs in points with 33 coming from 16 goals and 17 assists. The forward scored five goals on the power play, two empty net goals, and six game winners. Guagliardo was named to the 2019-20 NCHA All-Conference team to complete her senior year. Guagliardo’s six game winning goals ranks tied for first in NCAA Division III.
“I’m so proud of Nicole and her accomplishments this season,” Skelly said. “Prior to this season, Nicole set out to become an All-American and with today’s acknowledgement, as her coach I’m happy to have helped her achieve such a high accolade.”
“Nicole is someone who has a god given talent and can be a game changer at an instant which was great to have for our program this season,” said Skelly.
“I want to thank Nicole for transferring to Adrian for her last year of college hockey and we were lucky to have her put on a Bulldog Jersey! Thanks Guags and Congrats!!!”
The last Bulldog on the All-American list is goaltender Denisa Jandova who found her name on the second team. This is Jandova’s first All-American honor which comes during her sophomore season. Jandova led Adrian in goal to a 22-3-3 overall record. Jandova ranked sixth in the NCAA Division III in goals against with 1.07. Jandova finished the season with a 17-3-3 record and collected nine shutouts on the season. She made 499 saves and only allowed 24 goals during her 23 starts. The Czech Republic native finished with a .954 save percentage in her 1,350 minutes in goal. During the season she collected her first collegiate point with an assist at the end of the NCHA regular season. Jandova was named NCHA All-Conference, NCHA All-Tournament, and was named the Slaats Cup MVP.
Today on @ACSportsNet: The @NCHAhockey Slaats Cup final will take place on the campus of @AdrianCollege. 3pm puck drop as @AdrianWHockey hosts @CSSsaints#GoDawgs #Bulldogs #Adrian #ACTV #NCAA #D3Hky #Hockey @AdrianBulldogs @D3Hky pic.twitter.com/bsQjqizt0s
— Adrian College TV (@AdrianCollegeTV) March 7, 2020
“Denisa absolutely deserves this honor of being an All-American, she has been the rock for our team all year long and we would not have had the year we did if it wasn’t for her amazing play in net,” said Skelly. “She is our team MVP and I’m so proud of her and her progress of becoming one of the best goalies in the nation. She shows up to work every day and is a prime example of what a college athlete should be, while being an honors student at the same time. Congrats!!”
With the three All-American honors to O’Sullivan, Guagliardo, and Jandova, they bring the Adrian College NCAA women’s hockey All-American list to 42 times across 16 student-athletes.
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