Empire 8 Announces 2009 Women's Lacrosse All-Conference Team
April 30, 2008
ROCHESTER, NY – The Empire 8 announced its 2009 Women’s Lacrosse All-Conference team with senior Kelsey Evans of Rochester Institute of Technology being named Goalkeeper of the Year for the third consecutive year and junior attack Alyssa Pigott of Stevens Institute of Technology chosen as Player of the Year. Both were unanimous selections.
Evans has won the Goalkeeper of the Year honor each of the three seasons it has been awarded and is a four-time all-conference goalie after making the second team in her first year. Evans enters the Empire 8 Women’s Lacrosse Championship ranked second in Division III in save percentage (.584), 10th in saves (184), and 13th in goals against average (8.43 GAA).
Pigott, who repeated as a first-team selection, leads the Empire 8 in goals (66), points (88), and game-winning goals (five). She began the week 20th in Division III in goals, 22nd in points, and 24th in goals per game. A three-time Player of the Week, Pigott led the Ducks to an undefeated conference regular season, and the top seed and right to host the conference tournament.
Pigott was joined on the all-conference first team by sophomore teammates Christine Smith and Kate Cox. Smith, a midfielder, enters tournament play with 41 goals, 52 points, 36 ground balls, 23 caused turnovers, and a league-best 68 draw controls. She ranks 21st in draw controls per game in Division III. Cox, a defender, has picked up 53 ground balls and leads the Empire 8 with 43 caused turnovers, ranking fifth in Division III.
Senior defender Jerica Young and junior midfielder Ashley Pezze of RIT joined Evans on the all-conference first team. Young, a repeat first-team selection, has totaled 44 ground balls, 13 draw controls, and 26 caused turnovers. Pezze leads the Empire 8 in ground balls (69), ranks second in caused turnovers (29), and third in draw controls (46). She enters postseason play ranked 13th in Division III in ground balls per game.
Junior Lauren Glavin of St. John Fisher College, the conference Rookie of the Year her first year, earned first-team all-conference honors for the second year in a row. Glavin leads the Cardinals in goals (39), points (58), ground balls (49), draw controls (32), and caused turnovers (20). She has also tallied three game-winning goals.
Senior attack Becky Bedard and sophomore defender Abby Peterson of Ithaca College were named to the all-conference first team. Bedard, who received second-team recognition last year, leads the conference with 40 assists, nearly double the next-highest player, and ranks 10th in Division III. Peterson has totaled 31 ground balls and 26 caused turnovers.
Three players from Utica College were selected to the all-conference first team, including 2008 Empire 8 Rookie of the Year Tammy Kohanski, who repeated on the first team and leads the Pioneers with 52 goals and 61 points. Senior midfielder Jackie Vincencio and senior defender Kelly Regan joined Kohanski on the first team. Vincencio leads the team with 46 ground balls and Regan paces the Pioneers with 23 caused turnovers.
Lindsay Mitchell of Elmira College was chosen as Empire 8 Rookie of the Year. She led the team with 34 goals and tied for the team lead with 39 points.
Celine Cunningham was named Empire 8 Coach of the Year for leading Stevens to an 8-0 mark in conference play and 15-1 overall record entering postseason play.
One member of each team was named that institution’s representative on the 2009 Women’s Lacrosse Sportswoman of the Year Team. Empire 8 emphasizes that "Competing with Honor and Integrity" is an essential component of a student-athlete’s experience in conjunction with an institution’s educational mission. These honorees have distinguished themselves and consistently exhibit the critical traits as outstanding sportswomen.
2009 Empire 8 Women’s Lacrosse Awards
Player of the Year: Alyssa Pigott, Stevens Institute of Technology
Goalkeeper of the Year: Kelsey Evans, Rochester Institute of Technology
Rookie of the Year: Lindsay Mitchell, Elmira College
Coach of the Year: Celine Cunningham, Stevens Institute of Technology