Women's Lacrosse - Seven earn all-GNAC honors
BOSTON – Norwich University's 2012 Great Northeast Athletic Conference championship team was well-represented on the all-league honor team, released April 30.
Coach Elizabeth VanParys' team placed seven individuals on the top two teams. Six of them were on the first team, as senior attackers Mollie Fitzpatrick (Falmouth, Maine) and Danielle Del Dotto (Andover, Mass.), senior and sophomore midfielders Kacey Abbriano (Hicksville, N.Y.) and Grace Fitzpatrick (Falmouth, Maine), senior defender Lori Baldassara (Manchester, N.H.) and senior goalkeeper Meghan Kennedy (Lowell, Mass.) were mentioned on the top team. Freshman defender Gina Conroy (Amherst, N.H.) was a second team selection, while sophomore defender Caitlyn Trepess (Scotia, N.Y.) was selected to the All-Sportsmanship Team.
Del Dotto and Fitzpatrick topped the forward slot for the Cadets each finishing among the top four in scoring. Fitzpatrick tallied 24 goals, nine assists and 33 points, while Del Dotto compiled 31 goals, 12 assists and 43 assists. In the midfield section, Abbriano hit a career milestone during the season by scoring her 200th career goal during a season in which she registered squad highs in goals (61), assists (18) and points (79), while Fitzpatrick was right behind her in goals (57) and points (68) which included a sparkling nine-score effort in the 17-6 GNAC championship game win over Lasell April 28. Baldassara guided Norwich's back-line with 14 starts, causing 17 opponent turnovers and also scoring a goal and dishing out an assist, while Conroy, en route to a second team selection, was able to play a key dual role for the Maroon and Gold with nine goals and seven assists to go along with six caused turnovers in 11 starts. Kennedy earned 13 of the team's 14 victories in net and has a current run of 19 consecutive wins.
Abbriano, Del Dotto, Baldassara, and Grace and Mollie Fitzpatrick each garnered repeat awards. Abbriano, with her Rookie of the Year distinction following her freshman campaign included, is a four-time honoree, while Del Dotto has been recognized three times and the remainder has each earned recognition twice.
The Maroon and Gold's honorees helped lead NU to a 14-0 record, the 2012 GNAC tournament title and NCAA Division III tournament bid, and continuing the program's current run of 29 consecutive GNAC and 19 straight Howard Field victories. Norwich is scheduled to host Castleton State in a non-conference regular season finale Wednesday, May 2, at 4 p.m.
