Date: April 28, 2005
Contact: Chris Hodgson (540) 458-8674
Release: Upon Receipt

SEVEN W&L WOMEN'S LACROSSE PLAYERS NAMED TO ALL-ODAC TEAM
Brown Earns Player of the Year Award; Hathorn Tabbed as Coach of the Year

ODAC Player of the Year, Senior Kristen Brown

LEXINGTON, Va. -- Three-time defending ODAC women's lacrosse champion Washington and Lee had seven players named to the All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference team. Additionally, senior midfielder Kristen Brown (Baltimore, Md./Catonsville) was named the Player of the Year, while head coach Jan Hathorn earned Coach of the Year honors.

Brown was joined on the first team by senior midfielder Maggie Speasmaker (Charlottesville, Va./St. Anne's-Belfield), junior attacker Amanda Strickler (Lexington, Va./Rockbridge County), and junior midfielder Rachel Wallick (Phoenix, Md./Notre Dame Prep). Named to the second team were senior midfielder Kitt Murphy (New York, N.Y./St. Catherines), junior attacker Kate Lester (Wilmington, Del./Friends), and freshman goalkeeper Sarah Tilbor (West Simsbury, Conn./Simsbury).

Brown, who was also named to the ODAC All-Tournament team, scored nine goals on the season, including the game-winner in a 6-5 win over Randolph-Macon in the ODAC Championship Game. She also ranked among the team leaders with 46 ground balls and 16 caused turnovers.

Speasmaker, also an ODAC All-Tournament team selection, tallied four points on two goals and two assists and her 21 caused turnovers were tops on the squad.

Strickler led the team in scoring with 46 points on 21 goals and a team-high 25 assists. In a 21-8 win over Randolph-Macon, she notched eight points on four goals and four assists. Wallick, a Second Team All-ODAC performer as a sophomore, finished second on the team with 20 caused turnovers and helped the Generals to a No. 4 national ranking in scoring defense, allowing just 5.41 goals per game.

Murphy, a First Team All-ODAC selection the past two seasons, collected eight points on six goals and two assists. She brought the Generals back from a 5-2 deficit with three consecutive goals in the ODAC Championship Game against R-MC. Lester notched 35 points on a team-best 33 goals and two assists and finished third on the team with 16 draw controls.

Tilbor, who was also named to the ODAC All-Tournament team, led the ODAC with a 5.79 goals-against average and was second in the conference with a .562 save percentage. She posted career-high 15 saves in a 19-7 win over Frostburg State and in a 13-5 win over Virginia Wesleyan.

Hathorn, who is in her 17th year at the helm of the Generals, earned Coach of the Year laurels for the seventh time overall and for the fourth time in the last five years.

W&L finished the regular season with a 14-3 overall record and a perfect 8-0 mark in the ODAC. The 12th-ranked Generals return to action in the NCAA Division III Tournament against an opponent that is yet to be determined.

--GENERALS--