Sophomore Caitlin McKinney and the Notre Dame women's lacrosse team open the BIG EAST schedule in Florida on Thursday, March 16 vs. Loyola (Md.)

Five Irish Players Named To Great Lakes Team For U.S. Lacrosse National Tourney

May 26, 2005

Notre Dame, Ind. – Five Notre Dame women’s lacrosse players have been selected to play for the Great Lakes Team at the U.S. Lacrosse Women’s Division National Tournament to be held Memorial Day weekend (May 28-29) at Lehigh University in Bethlehem, Pa. Named to the team are junior Crysti Foote (Suffern, N.Y.) and freshmen Lindsey Ferguson (Newtown Square, Pa.), Julie Foote (Suffern, N.Y.), Caitlin McKinney (Lafayette Hill, Pa.) and Becky Ranck (Wayne, Pa.).

The Irish players will compete in the club division that is made up of post-collegiate and collegiate players representing the U.S. Lacrosse region they live in and play in. Approximately 25 teams are placed in Division I, II, III or IV and compete in pool play. The Great Lakes team will play in Division I versus teams from the USA World Cup team, the New York region, the Pacific region, the Upper Atlantic region and New England.

The Great Lakes team will play on Saturday, May 28 at 10:30 a.m. (vs. USA), 12:30 p.m. (vs. New York) and at 5:30 p.m. (vs. Pacific). On Sunday, May 29, the Great Lakes team plays at 10:00 a.m. (vs. Upper Atlantic) and at 2:00 p.m. (vs. New England) to round out the round-robin schedule.

“It’s exciting to have five of our players representing the Great Lakes region in the US Lacrosse National Tournament,” said Irish head coach Tracy Coyne.

“There is so much tradition, along with the best talent in the country all brought together at the same site. It is the best event in women’s lacrosse.”

Crysti Foote leads the Irish contingent and is making her first appearance with the Great Lakes Team. A third team IWLCA All-American and first team all-BIG EAST selection this year, Foote led Notre Dame in scoring with career highs in goals (34), assists (16) and points (50). She also led the team with 28 draw controls, was fourth in ground balls with 27 and tied for second on the team with 15 caused turnovers.

Notre Dame’s other four representatives all just finished their freshman year for the Irish. Heading the list is attack standout Caitlin McKinney who was a second team all-BIG EAST and second team Mid-Atlantic region choice in her freshman campaign. McKinney finished second in scoring for the Irish with 28 goals and 12 assists for 40 points. Her 40-point season was the third best for a Notre Dame freshman in the program’s nine-year history. She also recorded 21 ground balls, 15 draw controls and nine caused turnovers. She opened her career with an 11-game point-scoring streak (20g, 11a, 31pts.).

Defender Becky Ranck saw action in 11 games for the Irish in 2005, becoming one of the team’s top defensive reserves as the season wore on. A talented and athletic player with outstanding defensive instincts, Ranck figures to be a key member of the Notre Dame defense in the coming seasons.

Midfielder Lindsey Ferguson and attack Julie Foote saw limited playing time for the Irish in their rookie seasons and will look to use this opportunity against some of the best competition in the United States to build on for the 2006 season at Notre Dame. Ferguson can play both midfield and attack and is a solid all-around player. Foote, Crysti’s younger sister, has excellent stick skills and a good scoring touch. She spent time with the Canadian National Team in their pre-World Cup training sessions this past year.