And, even better news... We don't have to worry about these athletes turning pro and leaving early!!
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry -----Original Message----- From: Shane Ford <goufgat...@bellsouth.net> Sender: gatorn...@googlegroups.com Date: Tue, 3 May 2011 11:10:48 To: GatorNEWS<gatorn...@googlegroups.com> Reply-To: gatornews+own...@googlegroups.com Subject: [gatornews] [SUN]: Florida lacrosse team receives ALC honors === 5/3 at 12:26PM === [Gatorsports] Florida lacrosse team receives ALC honors Special to Gainesville SUN Gatorsports.com Published: Tuesday, May 3, 2011 at 12:26 p.m. Last Modified: Tuesday, May 3, 2011 at 12:26 p.m. Florida's Kitty Cullen, who leads the nation in goals, was named the Player of the Year, coach Amanda O'Leary was selected as the top coach and four others received honors by the American Lacrosse Conference on Tuesday. Florida, the top seed in theALC tournament, led all schools with six selections, including three on the first team, while Northwestern, the reigning champions, led all teams with four first-team honorees. Johns Hopkins, Penn State and Ohio State each were recognized with four student-athletes between the two teams, while Vanderbilt claimed two honorees. “It’s an honor for our players because the American Lacrosse Conference is a strong conference with such amazing athletes,” O’Leary said. “To even be considered on that list is quite an accomplishment, let alone have players named to it. The ALC has truly made a name for itself this year, having all teams ranked in the IWLCA top-20 at one point, and I think our conference has set a precedent for years to come.” In just its second year of competition, Florida had 14 consecutive wins, an undefeated 11-0 home season, an undefeated ALC regular season championship, eight ALC weekly honors, six National Player of the Week recognitions and, seen Kitty Cullen nominated for the Tewaaraton Award as a sophomore. The Gators have defeated five IWLCA ranked opponents in 2011, including 2010 national semifinalist, Syracuse. Florida defeated then-No. 2 Northwestern, the 2010 national championship runner-up and five-time National Champions, handing them their first ALC regular season loss in seven years. O’Leary mentored the Gators to the top seed in the 2011 ALC tournament and a No. 2 ranking nationally, marking the highest ranking for a team in their second year of play in poll history. Florida enters the ALC postseason with a top-five RPI. Kitty Cullen was named the American Lacrosse Conference Player of the Year and a first team honoree after leading the nation in scoring for the entire 2011 season. Cullen has 68 goals on the year, averaging 4.25 goals per game to lead the NCAA. She is also second in goals overall (68) and eighth in points (74) and points per game (4.63). Cullen has scored six goals or more four times this season (6 vs. Denver, Ohio State, Northwestern, 7 vs. Penn State) and scored at least a hat trick in every game until April 17th. The Rockville, Md. native has notched a point in every game this season and holds the record for the second-fastest opening goal scored in NCAA history, as she found the back of the net in just eight seconds in the Gators’ 13-7 victory over then-No. 16 Penn State. Sophomore attacker Ashley Bruns, the 2010 National Rookie of the Year, was named to the first team after a stellar sophomore campaign where she led the Gators in assists (23) while also ranking second in points (62) and goals (39) and is third on the team in caused turnovers (14). She averages 3.88 points and 2.44 goals per game to put her among the top 50 scorers in the country. Bruns has scored at least five points in seven contests this season, including tying her career highs in goals (6 vs. Syracuse), assists (4 vs. Denver and Penn State) and setting a new high in draw controls twice this season (3 vs. Georgetown and Penn State). Sophomore defender Sam Farrell was named to the first team while leading the Gators in ground balls with 25. She has controlled the Florida midfield with speed and strength, causing seven turnovers while holding the majority of her marks to less than half of their season scoring average. Sophomore midfielder Janine Hillier has had her best year as a Gator while being named to the second team. She has scored 23 goals on the season, while also recording 21 ground balls, 32 draw controls and a team-leading 16 caused turnovers. Sophomore defender Haydon Judge was named to the second team while helping to anchor the Florida defense. The Gators have held 10 out of 16 of their opponents to single-digit scoring and Judge was a large part of that, ensuring that all of her marks were rarely able to get off a shot, let alone score. Judge may be a smaller defender, but what she may lack in girth, she makes up for in determination, speed and strength. Sophomore goalkeeper Mikey Meagher was named to the second team after leading the ALC and ranking fifth in the nation in goals-against average (7.85). Meagher was named the ALC Defensive Player of the Week after her performance against Johns Hopkins where she set a career-high with 13 saves against the Blue Jays. ALC All-Conference Honors Player of the Year: Kitty Cullen, Florida Goalie of the Year: Dana Cahill, Penn State Rookie of the Year: Alyssa Leonard, Northwestern Coach of the Year: Amanda O’Leary, Florida ALC First Team Ashley Bruns,Florida Dana Cahill, Penn State Ally Carey, Vanderbilt Kitty Cullen,Florida Maggie Dunbar, Penn State Sam Farrell,Florida Alex Frank, Northwestern Colleen Magarity, Northwestern Alayna Markwordt, Ohio State Colleen McCaffrey, Johns Hopkins Shannon Smith, Northwestern Taylor Thornton, Northwestern ALC Second Team Gabby Capuzzi, Ohio State Taylor D'Amore, Johns Hopkins Jackie Eastman, Penn State Lindsey Gysin, Ohio State Janine Hillier,Florida Haydon Judge,Florida Alyssa Kildare, Johns Hopkins Courtney Kirk, Vanderbilt Mikey Meagher,Florida Candace Rossi, Johns Hopkins Jen Steadman, Penn State Brittney Zerhusen, Ohio State -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us -- GATORS: ONE VOICE ON SATURDAY - NO VOICE ON SUNDAY! 1996 National Football Champions | 2006 National Basketball Champions 2006 National Football Champions | 2007 National Basketball Champions 2008 National Football Champions | Three Heisman Trophy winners: Steve Spurrier (1966), Danny Wuerffel (1996), Tim Tebow (2007) - Visit our website at www.gatornet.us