Women's Lacrosse | 4/29/2010 1:14:00 PM
ROCHESTER, NY - Freshman midfielder #
Shelby Vakiener (Fairport, NY/Fairport)# was named the Empire 8 Rookie of the Year, as the conference announced its 2010 all-conference honors on Thursday. RIT placed eight on the All-Conference team led by first team selections Vakiener and #
Megan Henriksen (Silver Spring, MD/Our Lady of Good Counsel)#. Seniors #
Ashley Pezze (Guilderland, NY/Guilderland) and
Danielle Previ (Medford, NJ/Shawnee) were second team selections and (Palmyra, NY/Palmyra-Macedon)Rebecca Lampson (Penn Yan, NY/Penn Yan Academy)#, #
Sarah Frisicano (Rochester, NY/Greece Olympia) and
Katelyn Crane (Palmyra, NY/Palmyra-Macedon) were honorable mention picks. Senior (Palmyra, NY/Palmyra-Macedon)Allyson Pisher (Holley, NY/Holley)# was named RIT's Sportsperson of the Year.
Vakiener, a first team selection, leads the conference with 53 ground balls and has added 41 goals, 35 draw controls, and 25 caused turnovers. She is second on the team in scoring with 52 points and sixth in the conference averaging 3.53 points per game.
Henriksen, a sophomore defender, has 30 ground balls on the season along with 28 draw controls, and 18 caused turnovers. She has tallied eight 13 points on the season with eight goals and five assists.
Pezze, a first team selection in 2009 and an honorable mention selection in 2008, is sixth on the team in scoring with 30 points on 23 goals and seven assists. She is second on the team with 45 ground balls and third with 36 draw controls. She is tenth all-time at RIT with 97 career points and eight in career goals with 78.
Previ, a midfielder, leads the team in scoring with 53 points on 40 goals and 13 assists. The senior leads RIT with 37 draw controls and is third all-time at RIT in scoring with 155 career points. She needs two points to take second on her own. She is second all-time at RIT with 124 career goals.
Pisher, a midfielder/defender, has enjoyed success at both ends of the field, chipping in with 24 goals and 35 points, while contributing 41 ground balls and 18 draw controls. She has helped key RIT's strong transition game and is a main reason the Tigers have allowed just 9.98 goals per game this season.
Crane has had an immediate impact on the Tigers success this season. In 15 games this season the freshman goaltender has an 8-4 record and a 10.11 goals against average.
Frisicano has been a key cog in the Tigers defense this season. She has 14 caused turnovers and 17 ground balls this season, while contributing four goals. The junior defender has helped RIT hold opponents to 9.98 goals per game this season.
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.
The Tigers (11-4) travel to Ithaca to compete in the 2010 Empire 8 Tournament. RIT, the No. 3 seed, will play No. 2 Stevens in the second semifinal on Saturday at 2 p.m. If RIT wins, they will play for the 2010 Empire 8 Championship on Sunday at 12 p.m.
