On Monday, senior goalie Linz Markwart was named Mid-American Conference Defensive Player of the Week for the seventh time in her career.

Markwart had 19 saves in the last two games, which included the team’s first victory of the season, 3-2 over Michigan State.

“It’s definitely nice to win, but I think it really reflects on the whole team,” Markwart said. “When the defense is confident, I’m confident. When they do their job it gives me the confidence to do my job.”

Markwart, whose 9.38 saves-per-game average currently ranks eighth in the nation, has seen her share of awards during her career at Kent State. Markwart was named to the MAC All-Tournament Team in 2004 and 2005. Markwart . I got to see a lot of field hockey and you can always learn a lot from watching. I also constantly talked to the coaches.”

Markwart has come back from her injury to win 20 games and a record five shutouts. She is currently on pace to break into the top five in Kent State field hockey history in career saves and saves-per-game. However, Markwart said that statistics do not matter to her.

“Stats are stats; they really don’t mean much,” Markwart said. “I just want to come out and play everyday. I look forward to doing my job and winning.”

Kent State (2-6) will play Miami (3-5) at 3 p.m. Friday at Murphy Mellis field. This will be the first game of the MAC season for Kent State.

Contact field hockey reporter Tyler McIntosh at [email protected].