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Somerset, NJ -- Sacred Heart senior attacker Amanda Williams (Monroe, CT/Masuk) was named NEC Women's Lacrosse Player of the Year in a vote by league head coaches. Mount St. Mary's sophomore defender Aly Jost (Abingdon, MD/Bel Air) claimed NEC Defensive Player of the Year accolades, while Quinnipiac freshman midfielder Marissa Caroleo (North Babylon, NY/North Babylon) was picked NEC Rookie of the Year. Sacred Heart's Laura Cook was voted NEC Coach of the Year by her peers after guiding the Pioneers to a share of their second straight NEC regular season title.
On the eve of the NEC Women's Lacrosse Tournament, the awards were announced at a banquet held on the campus of tourney host Sacred Heart University in Fairfield, CT. In Friday's semifinals, top-seeded Sacred Heart takes on #4 seed Monmouth at 12:00 pm, followed by #2 seed Quinnipiac meeting #3 seed Mount St. Mary's at 2:30 pm. The championship game is slated for Sunday, April 26 at 1:00 pm. The winner of the NEC championship will claim the league's automatic berth to the NCAA Tournament and take on the MAAC champion in a play-in game on a date to be determined.
A second team all-conference honoree in each of the last two seasons, Williams becomes the first Sacred Heart player to earn NEC Player of the Year accolades. With a breakout season, she emerged as the league's most prolific scorer and enters the postseason leading the NEC with 51 goals and 72 points. Both marks set new single-season school records and boosted her career totals to 130 goals and 171 points. Williams currently paces the NEC and ranks 12th nationally in points per game (4.5) and 23rd in goals per game (3.19). The senior attacker, who was a two-time NEC Player of the Week, has scored at least twice in 12 straight games heading into the Pioneers' semifinal playoff matchup. She is also third on the circuit with 12 free position goals and sits second on the Pioneers with 21 caused turnovers. Williams, who hails from Monroe, CT, also delivered a clutch performance for Sacred Heart on Sunday, scoring two goals in overtime - including the game-winner - in her team's 10-9 triple overtime win over Wagner that clinched the top seed in the NEC Tournament for the Pioneers.
Jost is the anchor of a Mount defense that limited six-of-eight NEC opponents to single digits goal totals this season. She leads the Mountaineers with 43 ground balls and has claimed 2.69 per game, the second best mark on the circuit. Tabbed to the all-NEC first team in each of her two seasons, Jost also paces the Mount with 17 caused turnovers. Jost, who hails from Abingdon, MD, joins Jacqui Ricca (2007) as Mount St. Mary's players who have been awarded NEC Defensive Player of the Year honors.
Caroleo is the second Quinnipiac player to walk away with NEC Rookie of the Year plaudits, joining current teammate Tiffany Manzi, who was selected in 2006. Joining a veteran group that fell one goal of shy of capturing the 2008 NEC crown, Caroleo stepped in effortlessly and finished the regular season with 18 goals, six assists and 24 points. She also ranked in the top-five on the Bobcats in ground balls (18), draw controls (17) and caused turnovers (10). In a showcase of her skills, Caroleo matched a 2009 conference single-game high by erupting for six goals in a win over Long Island on March 29, and was subsequently named NEC Rookie of the Week. The North Babylon, NY native is also one of just two freshmen to be voted all-conference, earning second team honors.
Now in her tenth season, Cook has elevated the Pioneers into perennial championship contenders and guided the program to its first NEC title in 2008. Sacred Heart has captured a share of the regular season crown in each of the last two seasons and posted a 14-2 NEC mark over that time span. Dating back four years, Sacred Heart has compiled a 26-6 league record and reached the conference playoffs on each occasion. Despite the loss of three all-conference players to graduation, Cook and the Pioneers found ways to win all season, finishing 4-0 in one-goal games and 2-0 in overtime contests. Cook also won NEC Coach of the Year honors back in 2006.
In addition to Williams, Sacred Heart first team honorees include senior midfielder Mary Montesarchio (Cortlandt Manor, NY/Walter Panas) and junior keeper Chelsea Wagner (Aurora, CO/Smoky Hill). Montesarchio joins a select group of four-time all-conference performers and has collected three consecutive first team nods. This season, she is third on the Pioneers in goals (30), assists (18) and points (48), and rank ninth in the league in assists (1.12 apg) and tenth in scoring (3.0 ppg). With 178 career points, the crafty veteran is the third-leading active point producer in the conference. Montesarchio was tabbed NEC Player of the Week on March 23. Wagner's terrific play in net for the Pioneers resulted in a pair of NEC Defensive Player of the Week awards for the lone all-star who does not hail from the east coast. A product of Aurora, CO, her 8.64 goals against average and .556 save percentage place her second in the league in both categories entering the playoffs. Wagner's played has also earned her national recognition with top-ten NCAA rankings in save percentage (third), goals against average (ninth) and saves per game (tenth, 10.50 per game).
NEC regular season co-champion Quinnipiac has compiled the fifth-best winning percentage (.857) in the nation, and rather appropriately sports four first team all-NEC performers, including senior midfielder Tiffany Manzi (Feeding Hills, MI/Agawam). The 2006 NEC Rookie of the Year and 2008 NEC Player of the Year, Manzi's decorated career also includes three first team all-NEC honors (2006, 2008 and 2009). A versatile performer and true field general who excels in all facets of the game, she leads the NEC with 15 free position goals and compiled 29 markers in the regular season to lift her career total to 111. Named NEC Defensive Player of the Week on Monday, Manzi has caused 16 turnovers and scooped up 30 ground balls. She is also fifth in the conference with 3.0 draw controls per game. Manzi is joined on the first team by a trio of classmates who have lifted the Quinnipiac program to new heights during their four years. Ashley Valentine (Friendship, MD/Annapolis Area Christian) represents another two-way threat for the Bobcats and was a second team all-star a year ago. Valentine, who was named NEC Player of the Week on April 13, is the current league leader with 1.69 caused turnovers per game. She also ranks third in the conference with 2.92 gpg and sixth with 3.54 ppg. Her 38 goals ties for second on the Bobcats with attacker Nicole Fiore (Monroe, CT/Masuk). Fiore has done it all for Quinnipiac on the offensive end of the field this season and ranks in the conference top-10 in the three major categories: fourth in goals (2.71 gpg), fifth in points (3.71 ppg) and tenth in assists (1.0 apg). Rounding out the Quinnipiac quartet is senior defender Erin Coffey (Huntington, NY/Huntington), who has settled in at third in the conference with 1.50 caused turnovers per game and has claimed 29 ground balls to rank third on the club. She anchors the league's top-ranked defense, one that has allowed an average of just 8.4 goals per game during an eight-game win streak heading into the postseason. Coffey was named NEC Defensive Player of the Week on March 23rd.
Playoff bound Mount St. Mary's features one of the top goal scorers in the history of the conference in senior attacker Katelyn Catanese (Huntington, NY/St. Anthony's). Named to the all-NEC first team three years running, Catanese needs just six goals to break the Mount career record. She is the NEC's leading active goal scorer (169) and point producer (194) and tops the Mountaineers this season with 42 goals and 48 points. Catanese also ranks fifth (2.62 gpg) and tenth (3.0 ppg), respectively, in the conference in goals and points per outing. She joins Jost, the NEC Defensive Player of the Year, as the Mount's first team award winners.
Loaded with offensive firepower, Robert Morris came within a hair of reaching the NEC Tournament for the first time, tying with Monmouth for fourth place, while finishing with the first winning record (9-8) in program annals. As a result, the Colonials were rewarded with their first ever spots on the all-NEC first team. Senior midfielder Kara Blakely (Gibsonia, PA) stepped up her production and led the Colonials with 39 goals. She also finished third on the club with 47 points. A second team all-NEC pick in 2007, Blakely's 2.44 goals per game ranks her eighth in the conference. Senior defender Mary Kate Egan (Lynch, MD/Kent Country) also makes a second all-star appearance following her second team selection in 2007. Egan patrolled an improved Colonial defense that allowed a shade over nine goals per game in winning four of their last five league encounters. She ranked fifth on the Colonials with 17 caused turnovers and had 25 ground balls.
Monmouth junior Megan Brennan (King of Prussia, PA/Archbishop Carroll) joins a long list of outstanding midfielders that have competed for the Hawks over the years. Brennan has assumed the mantle of go-to scorer for Monmouth with a team-high 42 goals and 55 points on the year. She also leads the team with 28 ground balls, and ranks second with 31 draw controls. Brennan, who has earned first team all-NEC recognition for the second year in a row, currently sits in the NEC top-10 in both goals per game (sixth, 2.47) and scoring (seventh, 3.24).
In addition to NEC Rookie of the Year Marissa Caroleo of Quinnipiac, Monmouth and Sacred Heart landed three players on the all-NEC second team, while Central Connecticut State and Mount St. Mary's are each represented by a pair of honorees. Robert Morris rounds out the second team with a single award winner.
Sacred Heart junior attacker Carissa Hauser (East Northport, NY/Commack) is back for a second go-round on the second team after finishing the regular season as one of the top playmakers and scorers in the league. She ranks third in the NEC with 1.69 apg and is fourth on the NEC scoring chart with 3.75 ppg. Hauser also contributes 3.0 draw controls per game, the fifth-best mark on the circuit, and her 33 goals are second-most on the Pioneers. Her ten-point effort against Robert Morris on April 3 ranks Hauser second on the 2009 NEC single-game list. Junior defender Jackie Pierce (Cortlandt Manor, NY/Walter Panas (Stony Brook)) was a perfect defensive counterpart to first team keeper Chelsea Wagner. She heads into the playoffs with 27 ground balls, 25 draw controls and 16 caused turnovers, all top-five numbers on a stingy Pioneer defense. Katie Kmiotek (Farmingville, NY/Sachem East) is one of just two freshmen to earn all-NEC recognition. The midfielder posted team-high figures for the Pioneers in ground balls (39) and caused turnovers (22), and stands among the top-ranked league players in both per-game categories with 2.44 ground balls and 1.38 caused turnovers. Kmiotek also registered an NEC single-game season-high by causing seven turnovers against Bryant on March 29.
Monmouth junior attacker Ali Pollock (Watervliet, NY/Shaker) has earned second team recognition for the second year in a row after ranking eighth in the NEC during the regular season with 1.29 apg. She leads the Hawks with 22 helpers and sits second on the Blue & White with 39 points. Pollock also produced the highest single-game scoring and assist totals in the NEC this year with an eight-assist, 11-point outing in a victory over CCSU on April 5. Junior midfielder Perry DeWitt (Malvern, PA/Great Valley) developed into an all-around force for Monmouth this season. She paces the team with 21 caused turnovers and 36 draw controls, while also pitching in with 14 goals. Senior defender Erin Marley (Columbia, MD/Seton Keough) was a stalwart on the NEC's third-ranked defense. She ended the regular season fourth on the Hawks with 24 ground balls and has caused a dozen turnovers.
Central Connecticut State senior goaltender Alice Lee (Northampton, MA/Northampton) retains her second team all-NEC status after another stellar campaign in net for the Blue Devils. For the second straight year, Lee leads the country in saves per game with 14.75. She also sports the nation's sixth-best save percentage (.526) and posted an NCAA single-game best 27 saves in CCSU's first win of the year on April 11, a 16-15 victory over Saint Francis (PA). No other goaltender in the nation has stopped more than 24 shots in a game this season. Senior midfielder Stephanie John (Lisbon, CT/Norwich Free Academy) did it all for the Blue Devils in 2008. She led the squad with 30 goals, 10 assists, 40 points and 40 ground balls. She ranks third in the NEC with 2.50 ground balls per game. John was tabbed NEC Player of the Week on March 2.
A repeat second team honoree, Mount St. Mary's senior defender Caitlin Preas (Rockville, MD/Our Lady of Good Counsel) was one of the key defensive components for Mount St. Mary's, which won all six of its games this season in which it held the opposition to single digits. Preas has tallied 20 ground balls and 16 draw controls on the year. Sophomore midfielder Lucy Pompa (Baltimore, MD/Bryn Mawr School) has contributed on both ends of the field for the Mount. Along with ten goals, she ranks second on the Mountaineers with 30 ground balls, 24 draw controls and 14 caused turnovers.
Robert Morris senior attacker Ashley Levering (Glenwood, MD/Glemelg) came into her own as one of the NEC's top playmakers this season. In orchestrating the Colonial attack, she shattered the NEC single-season record with a league-best 51 assists. Her 3.0 apg ranks her first in the conference by a wide margin and second nationally. She is also the third-leading scorer on the circuit with 3.76 ppg. Her 10 points and seven assists in a win over Saint Francis (PA) on April 17 place her second and third, respectively, on the league's single-game chart. The Glenwood, MD native is the NEC's active career leader with 95 assists and ranks second with 180 points.
2009 NEC Women's Lacrosse Award Winners
Player of the Year
Amanda Williams Sacred Heart A 5-3 Sr Monroe, CT/Masuk
Defensive Player of the Year
Aly Jost Mount St. Mary's D 5-3 So Abingdon, MD/Bel Air
Rookie of the Year
Marissa Caroleo Quinnipiac MF 5-2 Fr North Babylon, NY/North Babylon
Coach of the Year
Laura Cook Sacred Heart
2009 NEC Women's Lacrosse First Team All-Conference
Name School Pos. Ht. Yr Hometown/High School
Katelyn Catanese Mount St. Mary's A 5-4 Sr Huntington, NY/St. Anthony's
Nicole Fiore Quinnipiac A 5-5 Sr Monroe, CT/Masuk
Amanda Williams Sacred Heart A 5-3 Sr Monroe, CT/Masuk
Kara Blakely Robert Morris MF 5-5 Sr Gibsonia, PA/Pine Richland
Megan Brennan Monmouth MF 5-8 Jr King of Prussia, PA/Archbishop Caroll
Tiffany Manzi Quinnipiac MF 5-5 Sr Feeding Hills, MA/Agawam
Mary Montesarchio Sacred Heart MF 5-7 Sr Cortlandt Manor, NY/Walter Panas
Ashley Valentine Quinnipiac MF 5-6 Sr Friendship, MD/Annapolis Area Christian
Erin Coffey Quinnipiac D 5-8 Sr Huntington, NY/Huntington
Mary Kate Egan Robert Morris D 5-5 Sr Lynch, MD/Kent County
Aly Jost Mount St. Mary's D 5-3 So Abingdon, MD/Bel Air
Chelsea Wagner Sacred Heart GK 5-10 Jr Aurora, CO/Smoky Hill
2009 NEC Women's Lacrosse Second Team All-Conference
Name School Pos. Ht. Yr Hometown/High School
Carissa Hauser Sacred Heart A 5-4 Jr East Northport, NY/Commack
Ashley Levering Robert Morris A 5-5 Sr Glenwood, MD/Glenelg
Ali Pollock Monmouth A 5-6 Jr Watervliet, NY/Shaker
Marissa Caroleo Quinnipiac MF 5-2 Fr North Babylon, NY/North Babylon
Perry DeWitt Monmouth MF 5-7 Jr Malvern, PA/Great Valley
Stephanie John CCSU MF 5-5 Sr Lisbon, CT/Norwich Free Academy
Katie Kmiotek Sacred Heart MF 5-7 Fr Farmingville, NY/Sachem East
Lucy Pompa Mount St. Mary's MF 5-6 So Baltimore, MD/Bryn Mawr School
Erin Marley Monmouth D 5-6 Sr Columbia, MD/Seton Keough
Jackie Pierce Sacred Heart D 5-8 Jr Cortlandt Manor, NY/Walter Panas (Stony Brook)
Caitlin Preas Mount St. Mary's D 5-4 Sr Rockville, MD/Our Lady of Good Counsel
Alice Lee CCSU GK 5-9 Sr Northampton, MA/Northampton