Northwestern University Athletics
Six Wildcats Receive IWLCA All-America Honors
5/31/2007 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
May 31, 2007
EVANSTON, Ill. -- National honors just keep piling in for the Wildcats as six players were named 2007 IWLCA All-Americans. Four were named to the first team and one to the second and third teams. The IWLCA and US Lacrosse will honor the National All-Americans at an awards banquet on June 16, 2007 in King of Prussia, Pa.
The four first-teamers were the most of any school. They included senior midfielder Kristen Kjellman, junior defender Christy Finch and sophomore attackers Meredith Frank and Hannah Nielsen. Senior defender Lindsay Finocchiaro was named to the second team while goalkeeper Morgan Lathrop was named to the third team.
The six IWLCA honors mark the first time in school history NU has had six represented. The Wildcats also had six on the Inside Lacrosse All-America teams in 2005.
Kjellman becomes the first four-time All-America player in the school's history -- second team in 2004 and first team the past three years. Now a two-time winner of the Tewaaraton Trophy as the nation's top player, she led the nation's top scoring team this year with 66 goals (90 points) and was the only player in the country with at least 60 goals and 80 draw controls. She was named the American Lacrosse Conference's (ALC) Player of the Year for the third-straight season and set the NCAA's all-time record with 39 goals in NCAA Championship play.
Nielsen, MVP of the ALC Tournament this season, ranked second in the NCAA with 3.1 assists and fourth with 5.4 points per game. She led the Wildcats with 119 points -- a school record -- on 50 goals and an NCAA record 69 assists. She also joined Kjellman as one of five finalists for the Tewaaraton Trophy and was a first team All-ALC selection.
Finch, another first team all-conference choice, proved herself as one of the top defenders in the country this year. She ranked second in the NCAA with 2.7 caused turnovers per game and was 30th with 2.4 ground balls. She was part of a defensive unit that ranked first in the NCAA in fewest goals allowed.
Frank was one of NU's quickest and most dangerous weapons on attack. She tied for second on the team with 61 goals to go along with 19 assists and 80 points. She scored 20 goals in NU's six postseason games, including 10 in two ALC Tournament wins over Penn State and Johns Hopkins.
Finocchiaro is one of the game's toughest defenders. She has started all 22 games this year with 19 ground balls and 12 caused turnovers. She helps anchor a backline that ranks No. 1 in scoring defense.
Lathrop, started all 22 games in goal, leading the nation with a 5.92 goals-against-average and a .576 save percentage. She was named the ALC Goalie of the Year and recorded 160 saves -- a school record. 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.
The IWLCA (Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association) was founded on the principle of developing among intercollegiate coaches a deep sense of responsibility in teaching, promotion and maintaining the growth of women's lacrosse in accordance with the highest ideals of fair play. It is a body committed to being an integral part of the growth and direction of our collegiate sport.
2007 IWLCA All-Americans
First Team
Kate Breslin, A, Sr., Virginia
Jenn Cook, D, Sr., North Carolina
Caroline Cryer, A, Jr., Duke
Dana Dobbie, M, Jr., Maryland
Christy Finch, D, Jr., Northwestern
Meredith Frank, M, So., Northwestern
Mary Key, A, Sr., Johns Hopkins
Kristen Kjellman, M, Sr., Northwestern
Hannah Nielsen, A, So., Northwestern
Hilary Renna, D, So., Penn
Katie Rowan, A, So, Syracuse
Coco Stanwick, A, Sr., Georgetown
Lauren Taylor, M, Jr., Yale
Kristen Waagbo, A, Sr., Duke
Sarah Waxman, GK, Jr., Penn
Blair Weymouth, A, So., Virginia
Second Team
Shannon Burke, M, Sr., Connecticut
Jillian Byers, A, So., Notre Dame
Sasha Cielak, D, Jr., Vanderbilt
Becky Clipp, D, Sr., Maryland
Margie Curran, A, Jr., Vanderbilt
Lindsay Finocchiaro, D, Sr., Northwestern
Hillary Fratzke, M, So., Towson
Mandy Friend, M, So., Richmond
Kelly Kasper, M, Jr., Maryland
Kristie Leggio, M, Sr., Denver
Katie Lewis-Lamonica, M, Jr., Princeton
Caitlin McKinney, A, Jr., Notre Dame
Kathleen Miller, A, Sr., Princeton
Krista Pellizzi, A, Sr., Maryland
Laura Shane, GK, Jr., Stanford
Jess Wasilewski, M, Sr., Virginia
Third Team
Katie Batiuk, M, Sr., Rutgers
Kelly Berger, M, Sr., James Madison
Jessica Champion, D, Jr., Yale
Sarah Dalton, A, So, Boston University
Carolyn Davis, M, So., Duke
Whitney Douthett, M, Sr., Dartmouth
Amber Falcone, D, So., North Carolina
Kimberly Hillier, A, Sr., Hofstra
Leigh Jester, A, Sr., Duke
Christina Juras, A, Sr., North Carolina
Morgan Lathrop, GK, So., Northwestern
Chrissy Muller, A, Sr., Penn
Norris Novak, D, Jr., Princeton
Ashley Pike, M, Sr., Syracuse
Halley Quillinan, A, Fr., Syracuse
Rachel Sanford, M, Sr., Duke
