Date: May 8, 2006
Contact: Chris Hodgson (540) 458-8674
Release: Upon Receipt

SIX W&L WOMEN'S LAX PLAYERS NAMED FIRST TEAM ALL-ODAC
Strickler Earns Player of the Year Award; Hathorn Tabbed Coach of the Year

ODAC Player of the Year, Senior attacker Amanda Strickler

LEXINGTON, Va. -- Four-time defending women's lacrosse ODAC champions Washington and Lee had six players named First Team All-ODAC. Additionally, senior attacker Amanda Strickler (Lexington, Va./Rockbridge County) was named the Player of the Year, while head coach Jan Hathorn earned Coach of the Year honors.

Strickler was joined on the first team by senior attacker Kate Lester (Wilmington, Del./Friends), senior defender Rachel Wallick (Phoenix, Md./Notre Dame Prep), junior midfielder Maggie Megear (Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y./Cold Spring Harbor), sophomore defender Kat Michaels (Virginia Beach, Va./Norfolk Academy) and sophomore goalkeeper Sarah Tilbor (West Simsbury, Conn./Simsbury).

Strickler, a First Team All-ODAC and Second Team All-South Atlantic Region selection as a junior, leads the team in scoring with 58 points on 23 goals and a team-high 35 assists. Her 35 assists are the third most in a season in W&L history, while her 80 career assists rank second all-time. Strickler also ranks fifth all-time with 161 career points and has scored 81 career goals.

Lester, a Second Team All-ODAC pick as a junior, ranks second on the team in scoring with 39 points on a team-high 36 goals and three assists. She has 135 career points on 124 goals and 11 assists and her 124 career goals rank fourth all-time at W&L.

Wallick, who was named First Team All-ODAC and Second Team All-South Atlantic Region as a junior, has tallied eight points on six goals and two assists. She has scooped up 31 ground balls, while her 26 caused turnovers are second on the team. Wallick, who was also a Second Team All-ODAC pick as a sophomore, has helped W&L to a No. 5 national ranking in scoring defense, allowing just 5.83 goals per game.

Megear has notched a career-high 28 points on a career-best 24 goals and four assists. She has also been a force on the defensive third of the field by ranking second on the team with 39 ground balls and third with 25 caused turnovers. For her career, Megear has tallied 57 points on 42 goals and 15 assists.

Michaels has tallied three points on one goal and two assists and is a key to the Generals' defense. She leads the team with 27 caused turnovers and has picked up 32 ground balls. Michaels has also helped W&L to a No. 5 national ranking in scoring defense, allowing just 5.83 goals per game.

Tilbor, who was a Second Team All-ODAC selection as a freshman, leads the ODAC with a 6.27 goals-against average and a .547 save percentage, while her 6.27 GAA ranks sixth in the NCAA. In her two seasons, Tilbor has posted a 6.39 GAA and a .551 save percentage.

Strickler, Wallick, Michaels and Tilbor were all named to the ODAC All-Tournament Team this season after helping the Generals to their fourth consecutive ODAC Championship.

Hathorn, who is in her 18th year at the helm of the Generals, earned Coach of the Year laurels for the eighth time overall and for the fifth time in the last six years. She has a career record of 206-88 (.701).

W&L finished the regular season with a 15-3 overall record and a perfect 8-0 mark in the ODAC. The 10th-ranked Generals return to action on Wed., May 10 when they host Christopher Newport in the first round of the NCAA Division III Tournament at 4:00 pm.

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