5.2.2011

Click Here For Full NLC All-Conference Release

FARMVILLE, Va. – Longwood University women's lacrosse seniors Juli Liebig|Centreville, Md. (Queen Anne's) and Cara O'Brien|Arlington (Bishop O'Connell) earned top National Lacrosse Conference (NLC) honors for the 2011 season. Liebig was named the Goalkeeper of the Year, and O'Brien garnered the Midfielder of the Year award. They each also were recognized on the All-Conference First Team. The Lancers placed one other on the First Team and added one more to the Second Team. All of the following statistical information is for games through April 24, including NCAA Division I rankings, unless otherwise noted.

O'Brien paced the Lancers in her final season, leading the group with 55 points, good for fourth in the NLC, on a team-best 45 goals (t-3rd), which ranks 19th nationally, and 10 assists (t-9th). The midfielder was recognized as NLC Player of the Week back in March and collected 19 ground balls, 21 draw controls and tallied 11 caused turnovers in the regular season. The midfielder recorded game-highs of seven points against St. Bonaventure (3.14), six goals against Davidson (3.19) and five draw controls at Presbyterian (4.1). Furthermore, O'Brien ended her career on a 13-game scoring streak after being held scoreless only once in the regular season and converted two or more goals in all other games but one.

Liebig anchored a Lancers' backline that recorded a conference-best .484 save percentage and third-best goals against average (10.31) during the regular season, placing in the same position for conference only games on save percentage (.504) and goals against average (8.71). Personally, the senior ranks first and third, respectively, for save percentage (.482, 14th nationally) and goals against average (10.53). She made 148 saves on the year, good for 11th in the Division I national poll, with 9.0 saves per game (15th). The captain also ranks No. 1 in the loop for ground balls (52) and ground balls per game (3.25), which is seventh in the nation. She ended her final season with a winning record of 9-7 overall for regular season games and 5-2 in the league, making a game-high 17 saves against Richmond (3.16) and collecting a game-high seven ground balls twice (California, 2.25; High Point, 4.10).

Hannah Riggs|Eden Prairie, Minn. (Eden Prairie) was the other Lancer recognized on the All-Conference First Team. The defender ended the regular season third in the league for ground balls (41) and added 2 goals and one assist. Additionally, the junior registered 19 draw controls and forced 20 caused turnovers, committing a team-low five turnovers through 16 games. She also tallied game-highs for ground balls (8) and caused turnovers (4) against Canisius on March 12.

The Second Team finds Kesley Dean|Centreville, Md. (Queen Anne's) also taking home All-Conference honors for her senior season efforts. She recorded a team-high 15 assists while scoring the second-most goals (29) for 44 points (2nd) in regular season contests. Dean further added 18 ground balls, five draw controls with as many caused turnovers. The captain gleaned a game-high eight points at Presbyterian (4.1), which included five assists - also a game-high. During the two NLC Tournament games, she registered team-highs of five goals and four assists while also converting three free position shots and grabbed two ground balls, earning a spot on the NLC All-Tournament Team.

Senior captain Duan Wright|Church Hill, Md. (Queen Anne's) shared All-Tournament Team honors with Dean after scoring two points on one goal and one assist in two games, as well as adding three ground balls, five draw controls and four caused turnovers. She ended the regular season tied as the top player in the NLC for caused turnovers, having tallied 14, but held the lead for caused turnovers per game (2.33).

Below is the complete list of award winners.


2011 NLC Women's Lacrosse Award Winners
Attacker of the Year
Grace Gaeng        High Point    Att    5-3    So.    Bel Air, Md.|The John Carroll School

Midfielder of the Year
Cara O'Brien        Longwood     MF    5-7    Sr.    Arlington, Va.|Bishop O'Connell

Defender of the Year
Lily Graham        Davidson    D    5-8    Sr.     Washington, D.C|Holton-Arms

Goalkeeper of the Year
Juli Liebig        Longwood    GK    5-11    Sr.    Centreville, Md.|Queen Anne's

Coach of the Year
Lyndsey Boswell        High Point
 
 
2011 NLC Women's Lacrosse First Team All-Conference
Name                        School            Pos.    Ht.        Yr.        Hometown|High School
Juli Liebig                  Longwood       GK       5-11      Sr.        Centreville, Md.|Queen Anne's
Kristin Masullo           Liberty            GK       5-2        Fr.        Berkeley Heights, N.J.|Governor Livingston   
Lily Graham               Davidson        D         5-8        Sr.        Washington, D.C.|Holton-Arms       
Rachel Hannon          Jacksonville   D         5-9        So.       Annapolis, Md.|Arch Bishop Spalding
Hannah Riggs            Longwood      D         5-4        Jr.        Eden Prairie, Minn.|Eden Prairie
Sara Kuhlman            High Point      MF      5-7        Fr.        Cincinnati, Ohio|Mount Notre Dame   
Cara O'Brien              Longwood      MF      5-7        Sr.        Arlington, Va.|Bishop O'Connell
Alanna Parker            Davidson       MF      5-7        So.        Spring Valley, Calif.|Monte Vista        
Ellyn Spangenberg    Jacksonville   MF      5-3        So.        Chuluota, Fla.|Oviedo       
Morgan Derner          Jacksonville   Att       5-4        Fr.         Lake Mary, Fla.|Lake Mary       
Ann Fucigna              Davidson       Att       5-3        Fr.         Darien, Conn.|Darien       
Grace Gaeng            High Point      Att       5-3        So.        Bel Air, Md.|The John Carroll School
       
2011 NLC Women's Lacrosse Second Team All-Conference
Name                            School            Pos.    Ht.     Yr.     Hometown|High School
Karli Tobin                     Jacksonville     GK      5-7     So.    Moorestown, N.J.|Moorestown       
Jasmine Jordan             High Point       D         5-3     Fr.     Baltimore, Md.|Eastern Technical           
Erin McGuire                 Davidson         D         5-5     So.    Bishopville, Md.|Stephen Decatur       
Courtney McLaughlin    High Point       D         5-6     So.     Apex, N.C.|Apex
Jamie Beamish             Presbyterian    MF      5-5     Fr.      Memphis, Tenn.|Houston
Emily Boissonneault     Detroit              MF      5-5     Jr.      Brooklin, Ontario|Donald A. Wilson Secondary
Jennifer Freymond        Liberty             MF      5-7     Fr.      Lakefield, Ontario|Lakefield District Secondary
Kaitlin Stewart               Jacksonville    MF       5-7    Fr.      Annapolis, Md.|St. Mary's
Desiree Cox                  Howard           Att        5-3    Sr.      Hendersonville, Tenn.|Hendersonville|Lees-McRae College
Kesley Dean                 Longwood       Att        5-1    Sr.      Centreville, Md.|Queen Anne's
Shannon Hartford         Presbyterian   Att        5-4    So.     Georgetown, Mass.|Georgetown Middle
Chelsea Thompson      High Point       Att        5-5    Fr.      Arnold, Md.|Broadneck


2011 NLC Women's Lacrosse All-Tournament Team
Grace Gaeng- High Point
Christie Dougherty- High Point
Alexis Goldman- High Point
Lauren Hayes- High Point
Morgan Basler- Jacksonville
Rachel Hannon- Jacksonville
Amanda Hurley- Jacksonville
Kesley Dean- Longwood
Duan Wright- Longwood
Jessica Melby- Davidson
Lily Graham- Davidson
Karis Walborn- Liberty
Catherine Ellis- Presbyterian
Alycsa Valentine- Detroit
Desiree Cox- Howard