Rutgers field hockey players Paulina Niklaus and Puck Winter have been named to the Mid-Atlantic Region First Team, as announced by the National Field Hockey Coaches Association (NFHCA) on Wednesday.
Winter has received all-region honors for the fourth consecutive year, while Niklaus has earned her third selection. Both athletes have been recognized with all-region accolades in every season of their collegiate careers. This continues a trend for Rutgers University, which has had multiple All-Region selections for three straight seasons, seven times in the last eight years with multiple First Team honorees, and at least one All-Region player each year for the past decade.
Niklaus has now been named First Team All-Region twice after being selected to the Second Team in 2023. Winter is also a two-time First Team All-Region honoree (2025 and 2023), with Second Team nods in 2022 and 2024. Additionally, both were chosen for the NFHCA’s Senior Team and earned spots on the First Team All-Big Ten.
Niklaus serves as a two-time team captain during her third season at Rutgers. She started all 18 games this season playing both back and midfield positions, contributing five goals and six assists. Originally from Mannheim, Germany, she leads Rutgers in assists this year and ranks third in points (16) and fourth in goals scored. Over her career spanning 52 starts, Niklaus has totaled 15 goals and 13 assists.
Winter started every game this season as well, making six defensive saves. With a career total of 31 defensive saves, she holds both Rutgers’ and the Big Ten’s all-time records in that category and ranks sixth all-time in NCAA history. Hailing from Deventer, Netherlands, Winter added five goals and three assists this season; across four years at Rutgers she has started all 73 games played with totals of 17 goals and four assists.
