Freshman Alyssa Leonard has twice been named the ALC Rookie of the Week in 2011.Freshman Alyssa Leonard has twice been named the ALC Rookie of the Week in 2011.

ALC Names Alyssa Leonard Rookie of the Week

April 12, 2011

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EVANSTON, Ill. -- Freshman midfielder Alyssa Leonard was recognized as the Rookie of the Week in the American Lacrosse Conference for the second time this year on Tuesday after her reliable play on draw controls sparked Northwestern's offense in home victories over No. 15 Penn State and No. 8 Penn last weekend.

On Friday night, Leonard picked up five draw controls and added a goal in a 14-5 win over the Nittany Lions, but it was against the Quakers where she truly made her presence felt. After Penn went on a four-goal run to tie things at seven, Leonard won four of the next five draw controls to fuel a decisive 6-1 run and finished with eight for the game.

The Bay Shore, N.Y., native also got into the scoring column against the Quakers with her seventh tally of the year.

Leonard leads the Wildcats with 54 controls through 12 contests, good for the sixth-best per-game average in the nation (4.50).

Leonard and Northwestern embark on an ALC road trip this week when they face No. 6 Florida in Gainesville Thursday and Johns Hopkins in Baltimore Saturday.

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