Two? Really?

Beth Yeager made history yesterday. 

The Princeton senior became the first Ivy League field hockey player to be a four-time first-team NFHCA All-American when the team was announced. Yeager also became the eighth player all-time to be a four-time first-team All-American, and there is an asterisk with two of the other seven.

And what is that asterisk? Two of those players — Yeager's 2024 USA Olympic teammates Phia Gladieux of Penn State and Maddie Zimmer of Northwestern — were second-team All-Americans and then first-team each of the next four years, with their extra Covid season. Asterisk, yes, but still wildly impressive. 

Current North Carolina head coach Erin Matson, by the way, was a five-time first-team All-American. That's beyond wildly impressive. 

Yeager was a first-team selection four times in four seasons. Her resume also includes an unprecedented four Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year awards, two Regional Player of the Year Awards and, this year, the Most Outstanding Player award at the Ivy tournament and NCAA Final Four all-tournament team. 

The 2025 season saw Princeton go 18-4, win 14 straight games at one point, win the Ivy tournament and win three NCAA tournament games before falling to Northwestern in the championship game 2-1 in two overtimes. 

What a career Yeager had at Princeton. History making, as TB said. 

Princeton, unfortunately, made a different kind of history when the All-American teams were announced yesterday. 

The other Final Four teams were North Carolina, which lost 4-3 in overtime to Northwestern, and Harvard, who lost 2-0 to Princeton. Harvard, by the way, went 19-2 this season, with its two losses to the Tigers, first in the Ivy final and then in the NCAA semifinals. 

Those three Final Four teams combined for 14 All-Americans, five of whom were first-team. Northwestern and Harvard had five total each, while UNC had four. 

Princeton? Two. 

There were 48 Division I All-Americans between first-, second- and third-team. Princeton had two.  

What? Two? 

The other, by the way, was Ella Cashman, who was named second-team All-American. The junior is a great player, a defensive midfielder who scores on one end of the field (three goals, three assists) and stops the opponent on the other as one of the best defensive penalty corner players in the country. 

So what history did Princeton make? Not the kind you want. 

It's been more than 20 years since the national runner-up had fewer than three All-Americans. It was Duke, back in 2004. 

From then until this year, every NCAA runner-up had at least three. Northwestern, the runner-up two years ago, had six in 2023. 

It makes sense that the runner-up would be rewarded on the All-American teams. After all, your team just went on a big run — you can't run much further. 

You don't get there without talent. Great talent. 

That was the case with this Princeton team.  

Goalie Olivia Caponiti was fourth in Division I in goals-against average and was the best player on the field in the NCAA final. She was a first-team All-Region selection. Nothing for her? 

Pru Lindsey went on a massive scoring streak during that 14-game winning streak that went to the NCAA final, finishing with seven goals and 11 assists, all in the final 14 games of the year. Nothing for her? 

Clem Houlden, who had a great season defensively on a team that allowed its opponents only 7.4 shots per game, was a first-team All-Region and first-team All-Ivy pick. Nothing for her? 

If you told TigerBlog he could add one more Princeton player to the All-American team, he would have said "Ottilie Sykes, first team." Sykes is the middle of that defense, next to Houlden, in front of Caponiti. Having her on defense was like having a giant wall at the top of the circle. 

Nothing for her? 

Don't take this as a slight at all to any of the 48 players who were chosen. TB isn't going to bother suggesting who shouldn't have made it in place of the Princeton players.

He is going to say this, though: If Princeton made it as far as it did with only two All-Americans, then two things are true. 

One, Yeager should be the National Player of the Year when that award is announced later this week. And two, Princeton's coaching staff should be the national winner when that award is announced after the New Year. 

Oh, and one more thing: None of these Tigers would trade the run to the national final for any individual award.  

But still. Two? Really?