Lafayette field hockey forwards junior Felicitas Hannes and senior Alix Talkow were named to the Academic All-Patriot League Team announced on Wednesday afternoon.

The team is composed of 11 members of the conference who have excelled both in the classroom and on the field, earning at least a 3.20 cumulative grade point average while proving to be a key team player. 

Hannes and Talkow were key players in the team’s successful season, in which it went 14-6 overall and 4-2 in the Patriot League. The Leopards made it to the Patriot League Championship, in which they lost to No. 1 seed American 2-1.

“The ultimate goal is definitely to win the Patriot League championship, but we had a really successful season. This team is really special, we had such good connections and a lot of really good games,” Hannes said. “It’s obviously disappointing when the season ends with one game like that, but I feel like in some ways, we definitely accomplished goals that we wanted to.”

Hannes started and played in every game this season, and ended the regular season with 18 points on eight goals and two assists. She also totaled 40 shots, had two game-winning goals, and a 2-3 penalty stroke record.

She was named the Patriot League’s Offensive Player of the Week on Oct. 4 after scoring her first career hat-trick against Colgate in the 5-1 victory.

Hannes is an economics major from Cologne, Germany, and is a peer tutor for Financial Theory and Analysis at Lafayette.

“I’m tutoring Financial Theory, which is one of the finance courses you need to get the finance certificate,” she explained. “I think it’s a lot of fun being able to give back a little bit, because the class definitely wasn’t easy.”

Hannes credits her teammates for helping her receive the Academic All-Patriot League selection.

“I don’t think I could have been on the Academic All-League team without all of the support of my team, not just on the field, also off the field,” Hannes said. “We always study together and we support each other in the classroom.”

Talkow also discussed how her teammates are her greatest support system when it comes to athletics and academics.

“The program and the culture is so special. These are truly my best friends, and I still talk to those that have graduated, and a lot of our alumni were even at a game in D.C. and other games as well,” Talkow said. “It’s just such a special program to be a part of, and I genuinely have felt since my freshman year that I could go out to dinner one-on-one for five hours with any individual, and that’s something that’s really special.”

Talkow is an economics and government & law double major from North Caldwell, N.J. She took 20 shots in the regular season, two of which were game-winning goals. Her season-high two goals came against Drexel on Oct. 17 to secure the Senior Day victory. She ended the regular season with 17 points on eight goals and one assist.

As a senior, Talkow reflected on why she decided to commit to Lafayette.

“It was the combination of both a high academic institution but equally high caliber athletics,” Talkow said. “I was just so drawn to this small community environment where I could have an impact and equally be involved in things outside of my sport and outside of school.”

Talkow has made an impact on the athletic community by serving on multiple program executive boards. This season, she was one of three members of Lafayette field hockey’s fall 2021 Leadership Council.

“Each year our team chooses what direction we want to go in with leadership. It began as a sit-down meeting where we talked about attributes and characteristics that we as a team wanted in leadership, and then the team voted on that,” Talkow said. “I was honored and proud to be selected to be a part of that group to be a voice bridging between our coaches and the team and help lead us to success.”

Talkow is also the President of the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC).

“I love being a member of the organization to help be that voice for student-athletes to advocate for things that we need but also to celebrate the aspects of culture and community within the student-athlete community and bridge that to the rest of Lafayette College,” Talkow said. “My junior year, I was in a leadership role on part of the executive board and now in my senior year, I was really proud to kind of step into that president role to help really push things forward, have an impact and set the foundation for the future of SAAC.”

Talkow is also the former co-president of the Athlete Ally club. 

“I have been involved in Athlete Ally since my freshman year. A lot of field hockey players were a part of the club early on and it has really expanded in members,” she said. “I sat in a co-President role of Athlete Ally my junior year. I love the mission of the organization and what it does. Something that we did was organizing a panel, where we brought back some alumni to speak on Zoom, and that was a huge success and a really proud moment for me.”

After graduation, Talkow will join the wealth management department in a two-year rotational program at UBS, a Swiss bank.

“My first exposure to the bank was through the Lafayette externship program about two years ago, and then I interned there this past summer and was invited back to join full-time,” Talkow said. “I really enjoyed working for the bank that summer, and I’m excited to work there after graduation.”