May 18, 2005
Notre Dame, Ind. – The Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team had four players selected to the IWLCA/US Lacrosse Mid-Atlantic Region team for their play during the 2005 season. The IWLCA/US Lacrosse All-American Committee made the announcement today. The three regional committees selected thirty-two student-athletes (a 16-member first team and a 16-member second team) from their region with all now eligible for selection to the 2005 IWLCA/US Lacrosse All-American teams that will be announced on Sunday, May 22, in conjunction with the 2005 NCAA Championship game at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Md.
Selected to the all-Region team for the third time in her career is junior midfield/attack standout Crysti Foote (Suffern, N.Y.). Foote was a second team selection in 2004 and a first team choice as a freshman in 2003.
Sophomore defender Meaghan Fitzpatrick was a second team all-Mid-Atlantic Region pick for the 2005 season.
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Joining Foote on the all-Mid-Atlantic Region team are second team selections Meaghan Fitzpatrick (So., Farmingdale, N.Y.), Caitlin McKinney (Fr., Lafayette Hill, Pa.) and Lena Zentgraf (Jr., Charlottesville, Va.). All three are making their first appearance on the all-Region team.
Foote was a unanimous first team All-BIG EAST selection in 2005 as she led the Irish in scoring with career highs in goals (34), assists (16) and points (50). She also led the team in draw controls (28), tied for second with 15 caused turnovers and was fourth in ground balls with 27. The junior had eight games with three or more goals and 11 games with three or more points and finished the year with a 10-game point-scoring streak (26 goals, 12 assists, 38 points.). A two-time BIG EAST offensive player of the week, Foote’s 50 points ranked her sixth in BIG EAST overall scoring while she was third in five BIG EAST games with 19 points (15 goals, 4 assists). She is also a member of the Great Lakes Team and will play for Canada in the 2005 World Championships this summer.
Freshman Caitlin McKinney joins Crysti Foote as the only Notre Dame freshmen selected to the all-Mid-Atlantic Region team. McKinney was a second team choice this season while Foote was a first teamer in 2003.
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Fitzpatrick became one of Notre Dame’s top defenders in her first season as a starter. A tenacious one-on-one defender, the Farmingdale, N.Y., native earned a monogram as a freshman coming off the bench and as a sophomore averaged 53 minutes per game. She finished the year with 24 ground balls, eight draw controls and 15 caused turnovers to tie for second in that department.
McKinney burst on the scene as a freshman on attack and finished second in scoring on the Irish with 40 points on 28 goals and 12 assists. That made her the third-highest scoring freshman in the program’s history, just one behind all-time leaders Courtney Calabrese and Lael O’Shaughnessy who had 41 points in their rookie years. The lone freshman selected all-BIG EAST (second team), McKinney will also play on the Great Lakes Team in the upcoming national tournament. McKinney served notice in her first collegiate game when she set a Notre Dame freshman mark with four goals in her first game versus Ohio University. That led her to a season-opening 11-game scoring streak that saw her rack up 20 goals with 11 assists for 31 points. She finished the year with 10 games with two or more goals and 11 contests with three or more points. McKinney had 21 ground balls, 15 draw controls and nine caused turnovers in her first year with the Irish.
Junior Lena Zentgraf capped her break out 2005 season by being named second team all-Mid-Atlantic Region.
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Zentgraf turned in her best season in a Notre Dame uniform in 2005, finishing fourth on the team in scoring with 11 goals and eight assists for 19 points from her midfield position. She added 27 ground balls, 12 draw controls and 12 caused turnovers for the season. A second team all-BIG EAST selection, Zentgraf was strong at both ends of the field for Notre Dame, contributing defensively with her strong one-on-one play and then adding to the offense as a scorer and playmaker. Zentgraf had points in nine of Notre Dame’s last 10 games (10 goals, 5 assists) to close the season on a strong note.
The four Irish players named to the all-Region team equals the total named in 2004 and 2002. For the 2003 season, Notre Dame had five players named to the Mid-Atlantic Region team. This group of players marks the first time that all players named to the team will return next season as none of the four are seniors.