Northwestern University Athletics
Six Wildcats Earn IWLCA All-Region Honors
5/24/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
May 24, 2007
PHILADELPHIA -- Six Wildcats picked up IWLCA All-Region honors Thursday. Among them are seniors Kristen Kjellman, Lindsay Finocchiaro, junior Christy Finch and sophomores Morgan Lathrop, Hannah Nielsen and Meredith Frank. The six first team selections were the most of any team in any region.
Kjellman, a finalist for the NCAA Honda Award and the Tewaaraton for the third-straight year, leads the nation's top scoring team this year with 62 goals to complement 23 assists (85 points) and ranks among the national leaders with 72 draw controls. She was recently named the American Lacrosse Conference's (ALC) Player of the Year for the third-straight season and was a first-team all-conference choice for the fourth year in a row.
Nielsen ranks second in the NCAA with 3.25 assists and fourth with 5.7 points per game overall. She leads the Wildcats with 113 points on 48 goals and a team-high 65 assists. Nielsen set Northwestern single-season records with 113 points and 65 assists -- second-highest on the all-time NCAA list (record is 66). She also is a 2007 first-team All-ALC selection and Tewaaraton Trophy finalist.
Finch, another first team all-conference selection, has proven herself as one of the top defenders in the country this year. She ranks second in the NCAA with 2.8 caused turnovers per game and is 30th with 2.7 ground balls. She is part of a defensive unit that ranks first in the NCAA in fewest goals allowed (5.9). She had her best game of the year with six CT and nine GB in the win over Rutgers.
Frank is one of NU's most quickest and dangerous attackers. She is second on the team with 58 goals to go along with 16 assists and 74 points. She has scored 17 goals in NU's four postseason games this year, including 10 in two ALC Tournament wins over Penn State and Johns Hopkins. She had four in the NCAA quarterfinal win over Syracuse and also was named to the ALC first team.
Lathrop, who has started all 20 games in goal, leads the nation with a 5.74 goals-against-average and a .586 save percentage. She was recently named the ALC Goalie of the Year and has 146 saves to her credit. She had her best game of the season when she came up with 14 saves -- one shy of her career high -- in the win over No. 2 Maryland in Evanston.
Finocchiaro is one of the game's toughest defenders. She has started all 20 games this year with 19 ground balls and 11 caused turnovers. She helps anchor a backline that ranks No. 1 in scoring defense.
All 128 athletes are now eligible for inclusion on the IWLCA/US Lacrosse All-American teams, which will be announced on May 29. The IWLCA and US Lacrosse will honor the National All-Americans at an awards banquet on June 16, 2006 in Downingtown, Pa.
West/Midwest Region First Team
Jillian Byers, A, So., Notre Dame
Sasha Cielak, D, Jr., Vanderbilt
Renee Cipro, D, Sr., Penn State
Margie Curran, A, Jr., Vanderbilt
Christy Finch, D, Jr., Northwestern
Lindsay Finocchiaro, D, Sr., Northwestern
Meredith Frank, M, So., Northwestern
Kristen Kjellman, M, Sr., Northwestern
Morgan Lathrop, GK, So., Northwestern
Kristie Leggio, M, Sr., Denver
Jessi Lieb, M, Sr., Penn State
Caitlin McKinney, A, Jr., Notre Dame
Karen Morton, M, So., Denver
Hannah Nielsen, A, So., Northwestern
Laura Shane, GK, Jr., Stanford
Lena Zentgraf, M, Sr., Notre Dame
