Eastern grad Ryleigh Heck earns National Field Hockey Player of the Year honor

Ryleigh Heck, an Ocean City native and 2022 Eastern Regional High School graduate, was named the Division I National Player of the Year by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association on Friday.

The sophomore forward led the University of North Carolina to the national title, scoring the decisive goal in the penalty shootout against Northwestern on Nov. 19.

Heck led the Tarheels with 34 points on 13 goals and eight assists. She was an All-Atlantic Coast Conference first-team selection for the second straight season and the MVP of the ACC Tournament, leading North Carolina to its seventh consecutive conference title and 26th overall.

As the recipient of the National Player of the Year honor, Heck’s No. 12 jersey will be retired by the program when her career in Chapel Hill is completed.

Heck was a standout player at Eastern, where she produced a national single-season record for goals with 125 in her senior season, averaging 3.5 goals per game. She finished her career with 323 goals, third on the National Federation of High School Association’s all-time list behind.

Eastern compiled an 89-4 record over Heck’s scholastic career with three state titles (state wasn’t competed during 2020 Covid season) and two Tournament of Champions titles.

This article originally appeared on Cherry Hill Courier-Post: Ryleigh Heck named Division I National Field Hockey Player of the Year