May 24, 2012
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – Five members of the Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team were named to the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) West/Midwest All-Region team, the organization announced on Thursday.
Senior Maggie Tamasitis, sophomore Margaret Smith and freshman Barbara Sullivan earned first team honors, while senior Megan Sullivan and sophomore Lindsay Powell received second team accolades.
With the five citations, Notre Dame has now had five or more student-athletes selected to the West/Midwest team since 2006, which was the first year the Irish were in the region.
For Tamasitis it is her second first-team honor in as many years. The Boyertown, Pa., product and Tewaaraton Trophy nominee, turned in a sensational senior campaign that saw her dish out a school and BIG EAST-record 31 assists in conference games and a school-record 59 for the season on her way to first team all-BIG EAST honors for a second consecutive season.
The tri-captain provided two or more helpers in 14 of the 18 games and four or more in nine contests. In a 16-9 win at Connecticut, Tamasitis assisted on eight goals, which broke a school and BIG EAST mark and moved her into the top six all-time for assists in a game in NCAA Division I history. Nationally, she should end the year tied for second in total assists (59) and third in assists per game (3.28).
Proving that she wasn’t just a helper, Tamasitis scored 23 goals in addition to the 59 assists for an impressive 82 points, which put her fourth in school history for points in a season. She scored goals in 15 games, including five in a 14-11 win at Boston. She also dished out four assists in that contest to give her nine points total, which was one of two times she did that on the year. She was named BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week once and earned a spot on the Weekly Honor Roll three times. Tamasitis was placed on the 12-member BIG EAST All-Tournament Team at the end of the BIG EAST Championship.
Smith proved to be a disrupter all over the field as she racked up 37 ground balls, 47 draw controls and 31 caused turnovers. She led the team in draw controls and finished second in caused turnovers and ground balls. Smith recorded one or more of each in 14 of the team’s 18 games. Smith turned in seven games with three or more ground balls, 13 games with two or more draw controls and eight games with two or more caused turnovers. She earned a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll three times on the year and was named first team all-BIG EAST.
The Westminster, Md., native also helped the Irish on the offensive end of the field, as she scored goals in seven of the first eight games, including a hat trick in a 17-7 win over Duquesne.
B. Sullivan turned in an impressive freshman campaign as she helped anchor the Irish defense, leading the team in ground balls (40) and caused turnovers (32), while finishing second in draw controls (32). She started all 18 games, producing 13 games with two or more ground balls, nine games with two or more draw controls and seven games with two or more caused turnovers. As the season progressed the Garden City, N.Y., native became the team’s top drawer, often times collecting her own draw. Over the last seven games, she scooped up three or more draw controls five times. Sullivan earned a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll once during the season and earned second team all-BIG EAST honors.
One of Tamasitis’ favorite targets, Powell was named second team all-BIG EAST after missing her entire freshman campaign with a knee injury. The sophomore scored 44 goals on the year before going down with a torn left ACL in the week before the BIG EAST Tournament.
The 44 goals moved her into the top 10 in single-season goal scoring in Irish history and put her fourth in the BIG EAST in both goals (44) and goals per game (2.75) during the regular season. The Honeoye, N.Y., product scored three or more goals in 10 contests, including a string of four straight to open the year. She earned her first career spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll during the regular season’s final week after scoring six goals and scooping up five draw controls in two games the week before.
M. Sullivan turned in a strong year from the midfield, scoring 24 goals, scooping up 23 ground balls and 27 draw controls and causing 15 turnovers. The tri-captain earned a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll after scoring two key second half goals in a win over Vanderbilt and scoring the first goal of the game in a double overtime win over Georgetown. She was named to the all-BIG EAST second team.
All five are now eligible for IWLCA All-America honors, with that announcement scheduled for the coming weeks. Last year Tamasitis was named third team All-American and was a preseason third team All-American this year.
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