Feb. 18, 2006
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va.-Defending NCAA and ALC champion Northwestern University has been selected to finish atop the conference by a vote of the league's head coaches. The Wildcats edge out Penn State and Johns Hopkins, both of which earned at-large bids to the NCAA Division I women's lacrosse championships last year.
The coaches also named Northwestern's Kristen Kjellman as the Preseason Player of the Year. Kjellman, a Tewaaraton Trophy finalist in 2005 after leading the Wildcats to the NCAA title, was a consensus first-team All-American last year and was the ALC Player of the Year in 2005. Lindsey Munday and Sarah Albrecht also were named to the preseason team.
The Nittany Lions of Penn State edged the Blue Jays for second place in the preseason rankings while 2004 NCAA semifinalist Vanderbilt comes in at fourth. Ohio State just passed rival Ohio for the fifth spot.
Kjellman, the 2004 ALC Rookie of the Year, is joined on the first team by fellow 'Cats Sarah Albrecht and Lindsey Munday. Munday led the nation last year with 107 points and was on the 2005 ALC First Team, while Albrecht was a second team member. Munday joined Kjellman as a consensus first team All-American while Albrecht was on the All-American second team by both IWLCA and womenslacrosse.com and the third team by insidelacrosse.com
Penn State was also honored with three selections as Lori Havrilla, Jessi Lieb, and Renee Cipro were all named to the Preseason Team. Cipro was a member of the ALC First Team in 2005 while Lieb and Havrilla both earned second team honors. Cipro was also on the insidelacrosse.com and the womenslacrosse.com first team and was on the IWLCA All-American second team. Lieb was a member of the National Rookie Squad as selected by womenslacrosse.com and was on the third team by insidelacrosse.com. Havrilla joined Lieb on the insidelacrosse.com All-American third team.
Vanderbilt and Johns Hopkins both claim two honorees to the team as Margie Curran and Kate Hickman represent the Commodores while Mary Key and Lauren Schwarzmann represent the Blue Jays. Hickman and Key were both 2005 ALC First Team members while Curran and Schwarzmann were both named to the second team in 2005. Key was a first team All-American selection by womenslacrosse.com and insidelacrosse.com and was on the IWLCA second team in 2005. She was co-Preseason Player of the Year in 2004 with Kjellman.
Ohio's Dana Dobbie was a member of the ALC First Team in 2005 while Ohio State's Kelly Kremer was the ALC Rookie of the Year in 2005. Kremer was also a member of the 2005 ALC Second Team.
The American Lacrosse Conference is a lacrosse-only conference and will send its regular season champion to the 2006 NCAA tournament by virtue of an automatic qualifying berth.
ALC Prediction of Finish-Votes (1st place)
1. Northwestern-36 (6)
2. Penn State-27
3. Johns Hopkins-26
4. Vanderbilt-19
5. Ohio State-10
6. Ohio-8
ALC Preseason Team
Sarah Albrecht, Northwestern
Renee Cipro, Penn State
Margie Curran, Vanderbilt
Dana Dobbie, Ohio
Lori Havrilla, Penn State
Kate Hickman, Vanderbilt
Mary Key, Johns Hopkins
Kristen Kjellman, Northwestern
Kelly Kremer, Ohio State
Jessi Lieb, Penn State
Lindsey Munday, Northwestern
Lauren Schwarzmann, Johns Hopkins