New England Small College Athletic Conference

Women's Lacrosse All-Conference Teams Announced

5/11/2011 12:00:00 AM

Romanowsky Becomes First Player From Trinity to Win Top Honors

HADLEY, Mass. – Senior attacker Rachel Romanowsky (Hampstead, N.H.) of Trinity has been chosen by the conference coaches as the 2011 NESCAC Player of the Year. The first Bantam player to ever win the league's top honor, Romanowsky led her undefeated Trinity squad to the program's first NESCAC title this past weekend, as she scored two goals and assisted on two others in a 7-1 win over Colby on Sunday for the 2011 crown.

The 2008 NESCAC Rookie of the Year, Romanowsky was appointed to an All-NESCAC team for the fourth time in her career - earning a spot on the All-Conference First Team for the third year in a row. Her final season with the Bantams has been one of her finest. Romanowsky, a key component in the Trinity offense during her tenure in Hartford, currently leads her squad and is second among all league players in scoring with a personal-best 71 points on 31 goals and a career-high 40 assists heading into this weekend's NCAA Tournament action. She has also contributed 23 ground balls, 15 draw controls, and three caused turnovers.

At attack on the All-Conference First Team along with Trinity's Romanowsky were Tufts junior Lara Kozin (Suffern, N.Y.) and Amherst sophomore Marta Randall (Monkton, Md.), both of whom earned All-NESCAC honors for the first time in their careers. Kozin has nearly equaled her point production from her first two seasons combined, racking up a league-high 79 points with 35 goals and 44 assists through 17 games, an average of 4.65 points per game. She broke the Jumbo record for assists in a game this spring, recording seven in a 19-10 win over Endicott, Tufts' opening round opponent in the NCAA Tournament. Randall was among the top 10 in the conference in points, posting a team-high 42 with 38 goals and four assists while adding in 19 draw controls, causing nine turnovers, and scooping up 15 ground balls. She was responsible for the game-winner in five of the Jeffs' nine wins this spring.

Five individuals from four different teams comprised the midfield of the First Team. Returning for a second tour were juniors Stephanie Perez (East Providence, R.I.) of Tufts and Liz Bruno (Andover, Mass.) of Trinity. An impact player for the Jumbos, Perez leads the NESCAC in draw controls with 63. She has also caused 27 turnovers and picked up 34 ground balls while scoring 29 goals and assisting on six others. Bruno, who earned All-NESCAC recognition for the third time in as many seasons, has caused more turnovers than any other player in the league for the third year in a row with 40 so far. Through 17 games, Bruno has 51 grounders, 34 draw controls, a career-high 17 goals, and five assists. Joining Bruno from Trinity was sophomore Megan Leonhard (Summit, N.J.). Second to Romanowsky in points with 54, Leonhard has tallied 45 goals, six serving as the game-winnier for the Bantams, scooped 58 ground balls, and earned 42 draw controls, all team-highs.

Rounding out the midfield contingent on the All-Conference First Team were a pair of first-time honorees, Middlebury senior Sally Ryan (Mountain Lakes, N.J.) and Colby sophomore Kate Pistel (Amherst, Mass.). Ryan is in the midst of her finest season with the Panthers, posting career-best totals for goals (54), points (67), ground balls (36), draw controls (35), and caused turnovers (33). Among the league leaders in each of those categories, Ryan currently paces the NESCAC in goals. The Mules' second leading scorer with 36 points on 25 goals and 11 assists, Pistel has been Colby's best two-way player and has answered the call when needed this season. She has also chipped in 28 grounders, 23 draw controls, and 14 caused turnovers while going 11-for-18 on free-position shots.

Three of the NESCAC's best defenses were represented on the First Team. Colby senior Lexi Crook (South Burlington, Vt.) earned a promotion from last year's Second Team, as the four-year starter for the Mules has a team-leading 35 ground balls and 15 caused turnovers along with 20 draw controls. Crook has also helped the offense with three goals, her most in a single season. Senior Ingrid Oelschlager (Roanoke, Va.) from fellow Maine resident Bowdoin garnered First Team recognition. A Second Team selection in 2009 and an All-NESCAC honoree in Field Hockey, Oelschlager has been one of the best one-on-one defenders in the conference. She has contributed to the league's top defense 27 ground balls, 25 draw controls, and 22 caused turnovers. Junior Liza Beckler (Potomac, Md.) is the third defender on the First Team. The Bantams' most reliable defender has 36 grounders, 22, caused turnovers, and nine draw controls while starting all 17 games.

Panther senior goalkeeper Lily Nguyen (Oakland, Calif.) completes the 2011 All-NESCAC First Team. Some of Nguyen's best performances this year came during conference competition, as she recorded a .526 save percentage over nine NESCAC outings, first among league netminders. Overall, Nguyen has seen a majority of the minutes in net Middlebury, going 9-4 with a 9.27 goals against average and a .513 save percentage.

Colby's Lindsey McKenna (Fairfield, Conn.) earned NESCAC Rookie of the Year. In her first season in the league, McKenna leads the Mules in scoring with 35 goals and four assists for 39 points along with contributing 19 ground balls, 16 draw controls, and seven caused turnovers.

Kate Livesay of Trinity took home the league's Coach of the Year honor for the third time in her career. Livesay, a 2003 graduate of Middlebury and a former First Team All-NESCAC member on defense, has guided the Bantams to an undefeated mark of 17-0, setting the program record for wins along the way. Her squad also earned its first NESCAC title this past weekend. Livesay was previously recognized as Coach of the Year in 2007 and 2010.