For the second time this season and fourth time in her career, Longwood University goalkeeper Katie Wyman was named Mid-American Conference (MAC) Field Hockey Defensive Player of the week, the conference announced Tuesday.

A 5-foot-8-inch redshirt junior, Wyman anchored the Lancers against two top-25 opponents last week, helping Longwood to a 2-1 record including a 2-1 victory over No. 20 Liberty University on Sept. 11 that was Longwood’s first against a top-25 team in its Division I era. The Lancers also shut out conference foe Central Michigan University 3-0 in the MAC opener Saturday before falling to No. 17 Rutgers University 5-0 the next day.

“Katie has had a great start to the year, not only as a player but a leader too,” Longwood Head Coach Iain Byers said. “She has grown over the summer, and that is showing in her performances. The way she controls the defense in front of her and makes both the easy saves and the hard ones is a testament to her drive and skills.”

The weekly MAC award is the second for Wyman in the past three weeks following the first Defensive Player of the Week citation she earned after her 12-save performance in a 2-0 loss against No. 7 University of Virginia on Sept. 2. Of the MAC’s first eight Player of the Week awards, three have gone to Longwood with Wyman earning two and senior forward Leonie Verstraete earning Offensive Player of the Week last week.

Wyman’s second MAC honor of 2018 extends a season-long streak of dominance in the net during which she has emerged as the top goalkeeper in the MAC with a .800 save percentage that ranks ninth in the country and a 1.43 goals against average that ranks 21st.

Her most recent performances last week saw her rack up 16 saves in the three-game set, including a one-goal outing against a Liberty team that entered the week ranked No. 1 in the country in goals per game. Against the Flames, Wyman blocked four of five shots she faced in that game and recorded a second-half shutout, which allowed Longwood’s offense to rally from a 1-0 halftime deficit en route to the 2-1 victory.

Wyman recorded three saves in the second half, including her final stop with just 30 seconds on the clock to preserve the historic victory.

Her work in goal has Longwood atop the MAC standings in both overall wins and conference wins, as well as goals against average, 1.84.