April 20, 2009

Center Valley, Pa.- Colgate, Lehigh, Navy and Bucknell will contest the 2009 Patriot League Women's Lacrosse Championship Friday and Sunday in Hamilton, N.Y. Colgate is the No. 1 seed, followed by Lehigh at No. 2, Navy at No. 3 and Bucknell at No. 4. Several Patriot League women's lacrosse student-athletes have climbed their way into the League record books this season. Student-athletes from Lehigh, Navy and Holy Cross earned the final Player of the Week accolades of the season.

Patriot League Women's Lacrosse Release - 4.20.09

Offensive Player of the Week

Lauren Dykstra, Lehigh So., M, Mendham, N.J.

Dykstra led Lehigh in scoring in two games last week, including a six-goal, six-groundball performance in the 15-11 win over Colgate. The sophomore had ten goals, one assist, nine groundballs and five draw controls last week and has equaled her goal total from last season with 64 in 2009. This is Dykstra's fourth Player of the Week honor this season.

Defensive Player of the Week

Caitlin Mandrin Hill, Navy So., M/D, Annapolis, Md.

Mandrin Hill anchored a Navy defense that limited the opposition to 6.5 goals per game on the week. As a unit, Mandrin Hill and the Mids held Robert Morris to its second-lowest scoring output this season, and held Bucknell scoreless for a 28-minute stretch in the close, 8-7 win. Mandrin Hill also talled one goal, one assist and one groundball in each of the Navy wins last week.

Goalkeeper of the Week

Elaina Ponchione, Navy Fr., Silver Spring, Md.

Ponchione picked up two wins and had a 6.53 goals-against average last week in net for the Mids. The freshman made nine saves against Bucknell, including one with three seconds remaining to preserve the 8-7 come-from-behind win over the Bison. Ponchione also picked up a career- and game-high five groundballs in the 14-6 win over Robert Morris.

Rookie of the Week

Kat Sutton, Holy Cross Fr., M, Saratoga Springs, N.Y.

Sutton averaged 2.5 goals per game and 2.5 points per game in two games for the Crusaders last week, including three goals against American in a 16-12 win. The freshman ended the season on a 12-game point streak. This is Sutton's second Rookie of the Week honor this season.

Patriot League Notebook

Patriot League Tournament Begins Friday

Colgate, Lehigh, Navy and Bucknell will contest the 2009 Patriot League Women's Lacrosse Championship Friday and Sunday in Hamilton, N.Y. Defending champion Colgate (5-1 Patriot League) is the No. 1 seed in the tournament, while Lehigh (4-2) secured the No. 2 seed by beating the Raiders, 15-11, in Bethlehem. Navy (4-2) picked up the third seed with an 8-7 win over Bucknell (4-2) in Lewisburg on Saturday, giving the Bison the No. 4 seed. Despite a 16-12 win over American, Holy Cross (3-3) was eliminated from post-season play.

Friday, No. 3 Navy takes on No. 2 Lehigh at 2 p.m., while No. 4 Bucknell squares off with No. 1 Colgate at 5 p.m. The winners of the No. 4 Bucknell/No. 1 Colgate and No. 3 Navy/No. 2 Lehigh games will meet in the championship game on Sunday at 1 p.m.

All of the games can be viewed on Patriot League All-Access. Please visit www.PatriotLeague.com for more information.

In The Record Books

Several Patriot League women's lacrosse student-athletes have climbed their way into the League record books this season. Lehigh's Sara MacIntyre is currently eighth all-time with 150 goals in her career, while fellow Mountain Hawk Kelsy Ferris is tenth all-time with 468 goalie saves. Bucknell's Carol Donohue is currently seventh all-time with 65 assists. Navy's Erin Rawlick is tied with two players for tenth all-time in assists with 56.

2009 Patriot League Tournament

The 2009 Patriot League Women's Lacrosse Championship will once again use the two-day format that gives a day of rest in between the semifinals and the championship game for the top four teams in the Patriot League. The tournament will be held at Colgate University on Friday, April 24 and Sunday, April 26.

Team Notebooks

American The Eagles lost two games by an identical score of 16-12 to Richmond and Holy Cross, finishing their season at 3-13 overall and 1-5 in Patriot League play.

Bucknell Bucknell lost a close, 8-7 game to Navy on Saturday and a 14-9 home affair to Marist earlier in the week. The loss gave the Bison the No. 4 seed in this weekend's Patriot League Tournament. Bucknell will face No. 1 seed Colgate in Hamilton on Friday at 5 p.m.

Colgate The Raiders fell to 5-1 in League play after losing, 15-11, to Lehigh on Saturday. Colgate finished the regular season at 12-4 overall and heads into the tournament as the No. 1 seed. The Raiders will face No. 4 seed Bucknell at 5 p.m on Friday, with Colgate holding a 26-3 overall mark against the Bison.

Holy Cross Junior Katie Gardner's 25 assists are ranked third all-time on the Holy Cross single-season list. The Crusaders went 1-1 last week, beating American, 16-12, in their final game of the season. Holy Cross finished the year with a 5-11 overall mark and 3-3 record in Patriot League play.

Lafayette The Leopards picked up their first victory of the season last week with a quadruple-overtime, 12-11 win over La Salle. Lafayette also fell, 14-12, to Longwood on Sunday. The Leopards will take on Villanova on Tuesday night, and will finish up their docket on April 29 at Temple.

Lehigh The Mountain Hawks earned the No. 2 seed in the upcoming Patriot League Tournament with a 15-11 win over Colgate on Saturday. Lehigh has won its final six games at home this season, and its 11 wins are the most since winning 14 games in 1996. The Mountain Hawks finished the season at 11-5 overall and 4-2 in League play, and will face No. 3 Navy on Friday at 2 p.m.

Navy Navy is the No. 3 seed in the Patriot League Tournament after getting a come-from-behind, 8-7 victory over Bucknell on Saturday. The Mids have won five of their last six games headed into Monday's regular season finale against Howard. Navy will square off with No. 2 seed Lehigh in the first semifinal game of the tournament on Friday at 2 p.m.