JHU's Hentz, Pearce Named to ALC Preseason All-Conference Team

Hopkins picked fourth in American Lacrosse Conference Preseason Poll

Baltimore, MD - Johns Hopkins junior defender Lacey-Leigh Hentz (Hampstead, MD/North Carroll) and senior midfielder Heidi Pearce (Chestertown, MD/St. Andrew's-DE) were named to the Preseason All-American Lacrosse Conference Team in a vote by the league's head coaches, the conference announced Tuesday.

Hentz, who was named to the all-conference first team in each of the last two years, appeared in 14 games on the Blue Jay defense in 2003. Despite missing two games with an ankle injury, Hentz still led Hopkins with 31 caused turnovers and ranked fifth with 42 ground balls. Hentz, who ranked third in the league and 17th in Division I with 2.21 caused turnovers a game and was eighth in the ALC with 3.00 ground balls a game, scored her only goal of the season on April 7 against No. 9 Penn State.

Pearce, who was named to the all-conference first team as a sophomore and to the second team as a junior, started all 16 games for Hopkins last season, ranking second on the team with 24 goals, 15 assists, and 39 points. She led the Blue Jays and placed third in the conference with 54 ground balls, and tied for second on the team with 24 caused turnovers. Pearce, who ranked sixth in the league with 1.00 assists per game, led Hopkins to a 12-2 win over No. 14 North Carolina on April 27 by scoring four goals and adding two assists for a season-high six points. She added five points in a victory over William & Mary on March 8, and recorded four points in wins over Davidson and Villanova.

The Blue Jays, who were picked fourth in the preseason conference poll and No. 20 in the IWLCA Preseason Poll last week, open their season on Friday, February 27, when Hopkins travels to Davidson for a 4 p.m. conference game with the Wildcats.

ALC Preseason Team:
Michelle Allen, Vanderbilt
KC Carter, Ohio State
Lacey-Leigh Hentz, Johns Hopkins
Katie Jeschke, Penn State
Lynz Keys, Ohio University
Courtney Koester, Northwestern
Regina Oliver, Ohio State
Becky Oxman, Ohio University
Heidi Pearce, Johns Hopkins
Lauren Peck, Vanderbilt
Jess Roguski, Vanderbilt
Lee Tortorelli, Penn State

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Penn State Women's Lacrosse Ranked 10th in IWLCA Preseason Poll

Senior Katie Jeschke and junior Lee Tortorelli named preseason All-ALC

UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa., Feb. 17, 2004 - The Penn State women's lacrosse team is ranked 10th in the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) preseason poll and is picked to finish second in the American Lacrosse Conference (ALC), league officials announced. In addition, two Nittany Lion players were tabbed as preseason All-ALC picks. Senior attack Katie Jeschke (Ellicott City, Md.) and junior goalkeeper Lee Tortorelli (Havertown, Pa.) are among the 12 student-athletes honored with preseason accolades by the league.

Jeschke, a second team All-ALC selection a year ago and a 2002 second team IWLCA All-Mid Atlantic honoree, started all 17 games last season and ranked third in scoring on the squad with 25 goals and seven assists for 32 points. She had eight multiple-goal contests last year and is expected to be one of Penn State's offensive threats this season.

Tortorelli was tabbed as a second team IWLCA All-America selection last season in addition to picking up second team All-ALC honors. She played all 1,020 minutes of the 2003 season and broke her own record for saves in a season with 199. She racked up a save percentage of .571 and notched at least six saves in all 17 games of the season. She recorded nine contests of 10 or more saves, including a season-high 20 saves at Virginia on March 17.

The women's lacrosse squad finished with a 9-8 record last year including a second-place 5-1 record in the ALC. This season, Penn State is slated to play 10 of its 17 games against teams ranked in the IWLCA preseason Top 20 with four more receiving votes in the initial poll. Of those 10 ranked teams, seven are ranked ninth or higher including Princeton (No. 1), Maryland (No. 2), Virginia (No. 3), Loyola (No. 5), Georgetown (No. 6), James Madison (No. 8) and Ohio State (No. 9).

The Nittany Lions are picked to finish second behind Ohio State in 2004 ALC play. The Nittany Lions have finished second the previous two years, since the ALC was instituted in 2002. In its third season, the NCAA now recognizes the ALC and the winner of the conference receives an automatic bid to the NCAA tournament.

The ALC is a lacrosse-only conference whose respective conferences do not sponsor women's lacrosse. The league consists of Davidson, Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, Ohio, Ohio State, Vanderbilt and Penn State. Vanderbilt is picked to finish third in 2004 with Johns Hopkins picked fourth, Northwestern tabbed as fifth, Ohio slated in sixth and Davidson picked seventh.

The Penn State women's lacrosse team opens up its 2004 season on Feb. 29 at Vanderbilt with its first home contest scheduled for Saturday, March 3 at 1:00 p.m. versus Davidson. Game location will depend on weather and field conditions. Please visit www.GoPSUsports.com for more information on the Penn State women's lacrosse team.

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Ohio State Has Two Named to ALC Preseason All-Conference Team

Regina Oliver and KC Carter named to squad, Oliver tabbed as preseason Player of the Year

COLUMBUS, Ohio - The Ohio State women's lacrosse team has had two student-athletes named to the American Lacrosse Conference 2004 Preseason All-Conference Team. Buckeye midfielders Regina Oliver (Jr., Pottstown, Pa.) and KC Carter (So., Birchrunville, Pa.) were named to the 12-player team by a vote of the league's head coaches. Oliver previously was named the 2002 ALC Rookie of the Year and was the 2003 ALC Player of the Year. Carter was the 2003 ALC Rookie of the Year.

Ohio State was the 2003 ALC champion and made its second consecutive appearance in the NCAA Tournament finishing the season with a 14-4 record. OSU was the preseason pick by the coaches to win the 2004 conference championship. The Buckeyes will open the season with a two-game road trip to the west coast next week. Ohio State, ranked ninth in the preseason Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association preseason poll, will face No. 14 Stanford, Friday, Feb. 27 and play California, Sunday, Feb. 29.

2004 American Lacrosse Conference Preseason All-Conference Team

Michelle Allen, Vanderbilt
KC Carter, Ohio State
Lacey-Leigh Hentz, Johns Hopkins
Katie Jeschke, Penn State
Lynz Keys, Ohio
Courtney Koester, Northwestern
*Regina Oliver, Ohio State
Becky Oxman, Ohio
Heidi Pearce, John Hopkins
Lauren Peck, Vanderbilt
Jess Roguski, Vanderbilt
Lee Tortorelli, Penn State

*Preseason Player of the Year

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Three from Vanderbilt Lacrosse Named to Preseason All-Conference Team

American Lacrosse Conference honors Commodores' senior trio.

The American Lacrosse Conference named three members of the Vanderbilt lacrosse team to its 2004 preseason All-Conference team Monday. Seniors Michelle Allen (Eldersburg, Md.), Lauren Peck (Arnold, Md.) and Jess Roguski (Baltimore, Md.) all received the distinction, making the Commodores the only team with three such honorees.

The announcement came less than a week before the opening of the 2004 regular season, which will feature the Commodores versus the Virginia Cavaliers at the Vanderbilt Lacrosse Complex on Sunday, Feb. 22, for a Noon CT match.

Vanderbilt is coming off of a successful showing at the South of the Border exhibition tournament, co-hosted over the weekend by Duke and UNC. The Commodores played five 30-minute matches on Saturday, Feb. 14, against some of the nation's top teams. Vanderbilt finished the weekend with a 2-1-2 record and gained valuable insight on the upcoming year in a highly competitive environment.

"Our team played very well this weekend," Vanderbilt Head Coach Cathy Swezey said. "We played with a lot confidence, and I feel like we will be very prepared when this Sunday comes around."

The Commodores boast nine seniors on an extremely deep roster, including the trio of preseason All-Conference selections. Allen led the Commodores in points a year ago, while Peck was the team's top goal scorer. Roguski has been one of VU's most consistent midfielders the past three seasons, leading the team in draw controls each year.

Vanderbilt was picked third in the league's preseason poll, behind 2003 co-champions Ohio State and Penn State. Both squads had a pair of honorees on the 2004 preseason All-Conference list. Johns Hopkins and Ohio University also had two players recognized, while Northwestern had one.

2004 ALC Preseason Team
Michelle Allen, Vanderbilt
KC Carter, Ohio State
Lacey-Leigh Hentz, Johns Hopkins
Katie Jeschke, Penn State
Lynz Keys, Ohio University
Courtney Koester, Northwestern
Regina Oliver, Ohio State (Preseason Player of the Year)
Becky Oxman, Ohio University
Heidi Pearce, Johns Hopkins
Lauren Peck, Vanderbilt
Jess Roguski, Vanderbilt
Lee Tortorelli, Penn State

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Vermont Women's Lacrosse Team Picked To Finish Fourth in America East Preseason Poll

BURLINGTON, Vt. - The University of Vermont women's lacrosse team was picked to finish fourth in the America East Preseason Coaches' Poll released today.

Coach Tracy Scott's Catamounts finished in third place last season and qualified for the America East tournament for the second straight year. With first-team All-Conference selection Vanessa Cox (Newton, Mass.) returning for her junior year and a roster full of young and talented student-athletes, Coach Scott is very optimistic about the 2004 season.

"We are excited to begin conference play and earn our third consecutive trip to the America East Tournament," Scott said. "We look forward to maintaining the momentum and confidence we finished last season with."

Cox finished last season with 42 goals and 48 points. Her 42 goals were third best in school history, and her 48 points were tied for fourth all-time. Cox has 58 career goals and is tied for 10th on the all-time scoring list. She led the conference and was among the nation's leaders in goals-per-game last season.

Other top returners for Vermont include co-captain Sarah Booker (Lexington, Mass.), a second-team All-Conference selection in 2003; and sophomores Dana Spencer (Cape Porpoise, Maine) and Erin Hall (Montpelier, Vt.), both of whom were All-Rookie Team members last season. Spencer was also a second-team All-America East pick.

Vermont was selected fourth in the poll with 23 points. Boston University received all seven first-place votes and is picked first with 49 points. New Hampshire is second with 40 points, while UMBC is third with 35. Albany (22), Stony Brook (19) and Binghamton (8) round out the seven-team league.

The Catamounts open the season on Sunday, Feb. 29th at Sacred Heart, and are scheduled to open at home on Saturday, March 27th against LeMoyne. The America East Championship will be held May 6th and 8th at the home field of the number-one seed.

For more information on Catamount Athletics, please check out our website at http://www.uvmathletics.com.

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Niagara Women’s Lacrosse Rank Third in Preseason Poll

Four Members Named To MAAC Preseason Team

NIAGARA UNIVERSITY, N.Y. – Niagara University women’s lacrosse placed third in the preseason Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) Lacrosse poll announced today. The Purple Eagles trailed the Fairfield Stags (47 points) and the LeMoyne Dolphins (43 points) in the poll with 34 points. Rounding out the poll were Marist (27 points), Manhattan (22 points), Siena (14 points) and Canisius (9 points).

It was also announced today that four Purple Eagles were named to the 2004 MAAC Preseason Team. Senior defensemen Kelly Barber (Homer, N.Y.) and Katie Callahan (Rochester, N.Y.), junior attacker Rachel Jones (Tonawanda, N.Y.) and sophomore defenseman Lindsey Shirtz (Camillus, N.Y.) were among the 15 players selected.

Kelly Barber was an All-MAAC Second-Team player last year, and an All-MAAC First-Team selection in her freshman and sophomore seasons. Last year she tallied 14 points with nine goals and five assists, and was second on the team in caused turnovers (10).

Katie Callahan was named 2003 MAAC Defensive Player of the Year and was also a member of the All-MAAC First-Team. Callahan led the Purple Eagles with 19 caused turnovers and 30 ground balls. In her sophomore season, she was named All-MAAC Second-Team.

Rachel Jones finished her sophomore season fourth on the team in goals (28) and points (30), and was third in draw control (25). In 2002, Jones was named Purple Eagles’ Rookie of the Year.

Lindsay Shirtz played in 15 games as a freshman, recording one assist and 11 ground balls.

The 2004-05 women’s lacrosse team begins its season at Long Island University, Wednesday, March 10.

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Longwood Women's Lacrosse Primed for Victory in 2004

FARMVILLE, Va. -- With 17 letterwinners returning, including nine starters and three All-Americans from a team that made their second consecutive NCAA Division II Final Four appearance last season, the Longwood University Women's Lacrosse program approaches the 2004 campaign with high goals and even higher expectations. The talent-rich team, ranked #4 in the Lacrosse Magazine Preseason National Poll, expects nothing less than perfection from such an experienced and unselfish squad that established a team-record 166 assists in 2003. Tenth-year veteran head coach Janet Grubbs, who has led the program to a 28-3 record over the past two seasons and has posted five straight-winning seasons (61-16, .792) during her time at the helm, is eager to see just how good her team will be.

"With a very successful fall program against a majority of NCAA Division I teams, we feel ready to take on the spring schedule," explained Coach Grubbs. "With 17 returning players we are looking for a dynamic 2004 season in spite of the increased strength of our schedule. We will be playing the top Division II teams along with eight highly competitive Division I teams."

Indeed the Lancers are prepared to take on some of the most competitive opponents in Division II this season with Brine/IWLCA All-American senior goalkeeper and 2003 Brine/IWLCA Defensive Player of the year Stacey Schmidt/Berlin, N.J. (Eastern) guarding the net and Brine/IWLCA All-Americans senior Kristy Taylor/Lorton (Bishop Ireton) and junior Emily Bikowski/Fox Run (Bishop O'Connell) leading the offense.

Schmidt registered over 600 minutes played last season, including 129 saves while limiting opponents to just 6.84 goals a game (77). She also set an NCAA Division II tournament single-game record with her 18 saves in the national semifinal match, and added 16 saves in the championship contest to establish a tournament-record 34 saves.

Taylor finished second on the team in points (61) a year ago, netting 29 goals and 32 assists. She picked up 35 ground balls and forced 13 opponent turnovers, while registering 15 draw controls. Bikowski, the 2003 Brine/IWLCA Midfield Player of the Year paced the Lancers last season with her team-best 54 goals and 14 assists for 68 points. She also recorded 30 ground balls, a team-best 33 draw controls, and nine caused turnovers. The offensive duo, along with senior Carlee Ullery/Keswick (Albemarle) will again be expected to lead the squad's offensive attack.

Ullery, who was named to the NCAA Division II National Championship All-Tournament Team after dishing out four assists and netting two goals during the tournament, will be also be an intricate part of the Lancer offense. Last season, Ullery found the back of the net 27 times and helped her teammates do the same a team-best 33 times for 60 points. She also picked up 24 ground balls and forced 16 opponent turnovers, while posting four draw controls.

In addition to the talented and experienced trio, the Longwood offense will expect its goal production to also come from juniors Isa Cohen/Mineral (Fairfax), Sophie Dress/Ellicott City (Howard), and Leanne Kibler/Oakton (Oakton). The three returners posted 47 of the team's goals and 44 of its assists in 2003. Cohen scored 31 goals and dished out 18 assists for 49 points a year ago, while posting 28 ground balls, 14 draw controls, and 10 caused turnovers. Dress provided the Lancers with 13 goals and 15 assists for 28 points and picked up 37 ground balls, recorded 12 draw controls, and forced 18 opponent turnovers. Leanne Kibler contributed three goals and 11 assists for 14 points, while registering 17 ground balls and six caused turnovers.

Midfielders Ali Shafer/Fairfax (Fairfax) and Lisa Magness/Severna Park, Md. (Severna Park) are also expected to make a significant contribution to the Lancer offense this season. Both sophomores, Shafer and Magness added eight and 15 goals, respectively while dishing out a combined 15 assists. Shafer picked up 32 ground balls, posted seven draw controls, and forced seven opponent turnovers, while Magness registered 21 grounds balls, 19 draw controls, and six caused turnovers.

Defensively, the Lancers will see nine familiar faces, including seven defenders and two goalkeepers. Senior Tia Richardson/Ellicott City, Md. (Centennial) and junior Leah Graham/Salisbury, Md. (James M. Bennett) both two-year starters and members of the national championship appearance teams, are obviously the most experienced defenders returning. Richardson picked up 35 grounds balls last season and forced 18 opponent turnovers, while posting 10 draw controls. She also scored 10 goals and dished out four assists.

Juniors Shawn Slotke/Baltimore, Md. (Roland Park Co.) and Heather Crouse/Ellicott City, Md. (Centennial) will assist Richardson and Graham with the defensive work. Slotke, a starter, picked up a team-best 49 ground balls last season and registered 22 draw controls, while forcing 14 opponent turnovers. She also netted a goal and recorded three assists. Crouse, who started four out of her 10 games played, also added a goal, while posting nine ground balls, three caused turnovers, and one draw control.

The sophomore defensive class of Kelly Strenge/Falls Church (Falls Church), Kerry Ryan/Springfield (West Springfield), and Kelly Gaines/Fairfax (W.T. Woodson) combined for 12 games played in 2003, while tallying two goals, eight ground balls, and five caused turnovers. Despite their limited playing time, the trio will be expected to make a bigger impact this season and assist more guarding the net.

In the goal behind Schmidt will be sophomore Emily Wilson/Owings, Md. (Northern). Wilson, saw limited action last season as the number-two keeper, but was still able to gain valuable experience between the pipes. She made an appearance in 10 matches, playing over 200 minutes and made 32 saves, while holding opponents to just 7.06 goals a contest. She will get worthwhile minutes again this season as she continues to assist Schmidt with the goalkeeping responsibilities.

In addition to the 17 letterwinners returning, six freshmen will join the squad this spring, including Cathleen Strain/Alexandria (Mt. Vernon), Meghan Thompson/Springfield (West Springfield), Kathleen Barry/Annandale (W.T. Woodson), Jenn Shipp/Charlottesville (Albemarle), Glenna Kibler/Oakton (Oakton), and Missy Rumbley/Baltimore, Md. (Parkville). Coach Grubbs expects an immediate impact from her new crop of young athletes.

"The team is strong, fit and works together like a dream. We have great depth this year both in the returning players and the incoming freshmen. The team is very excited about the move to Division I and I think we are in a good position, strength-wise, to make an immediate impact. We are, of course, disappointed that we are not eligible to attend the NCAA Final Four again but we are focused on establishing our reputation in Division I."

The 2004 schedule boasts more than its share of worthy opponents. The Lancers will face two Division I opponents in neighboring Virginia Tech and Howard (D.C.), along with Division II's elite, Stonehill (Pa.), West Chester (Pa.), and Bloomsburg (Pa.), which all competed for the national title last season and round-out the top four in this year's preseason poll. Longwood will also take-on various out-of-state competitors in Quinnipac (Conn.), Siena (N.Y.), UC-Davis (Calif.), St. Mary's (Calif.), Philadelphia (Pa.), and Manhattan (N.Y.).

The Lancers will open the season at home Feb. 28 as they play host to nationally-ranked #6 Limestone (S.C.) beginning at 3 p.m. at Lancer Field. Longwood is 11-1 on their home field over the past two seasons, including a 6-1 mark against ranked opponents.