Feb. 8, 2005
Providence, R.I. – The Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team has been selected to finish second in the BIG EAST this coming spring in voting done by the league’s head coaches. Georgetown was a unanimous selection for first place for the fourth consecutive year with five first-place votes while the Irish received 20 votes, good for second in the coaches voting. Syracuse was picked third, getting the remaining first-place vote.
Georgetown received a total of 25 points, with Notre Dame five points behind for 20. Syracuse received 18 votes, followed by Rutgers with 12, Connecticut with 10 and Boston College with five points.
The Irish are coming off a 2004 season that saw them finish in second in the BIG EAST (by tiebreakers) after a 4-2 league mark and a 12-5 overall record. Notre Dame advanced to the NCAA Tournament for the second time in the program’s history, losing in the first round to Northwestern. The Irish finished the year ranked ninth in the nation in the IWLCA coaches’ poll.
Two Notre Dame players were also selected to the conference’s preseason all-BIG EAST team. Junior midfield/attack standout Crysti Foote (Suffern, N.Y.) was a unanimous choice in the coaches’ voting and was joined by senior Jess Mikula (Chester, Md.). Both players were 2004 second team all-BIG EAST choices.
Foote was one of five players to be unanimous choices in the coaches voting. She is Notre Dame’s top returning scorer after finishing fourth on the team in 2004 with 26 goals and nine assists for 35 points. She added 24 ground balls and was third on the team with 23 draw controls. Foote was also chosen second team IWLCA Mid-Atlantic Region All-American following the season after taking first team honors in 2003. She goes into the 2005 campaign already ranked 10th on Notre Dame’s all-time points list with 73 points on 53 goals and 20 assists.
Senior defender Jess Mikula was selected to the all-BIG EAST preseason team in voting by the coaches. She was a 2004 second team choice.
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Mikula is one of the leaders of the Notre Dame defense. In her first season as a starter on the Irish defense, Mikula was fourth on the team with 33 ground balls and tied for second with 22 caused turnovers. That earned her second team all BIG EAST honors as she helped the Irish to their second lowest goals-against average (8.54) in the program’s history. A tough, tenacious defender, Mikula has developed into one of the conference’s top one-on-one defenders.
2005 BIG EAST Coaches Preseason Poll
2004 Records 2004 FinishSchool Points BIG EAST Overall Regular SeasonGeorgetown (5) 25 6-0 13-5 1stNotre Dame 20 4-2 12-5 T-2ndSyracuse (1) 18 4-2 9-6 T-2ndRutgers 12 3-3 7-8 4thConnecticut 10 2-4 8-9 5thBoston College 5 0-6 6-11 7th
Preseason All-BIG EAST Team
Susie Breaznell, Boston College, Sr., A
Carley St. Lucia, Boston College, Sr., M*
Tracy Mullaney, Connecticut, Sr., A*
Lauryn Bernier, Georgetown, Sr., M
Allison Chambers, Georgetown, Sr., M
Sarah Oliphant, Georgetown, Sr., A*
Sarah Robinson, Georgetown, Sr., GK
Crysti Foote, Notre Dame, Jr., M/A*
Jess Mikula, Notre Dame, Sr., M/D
Lyndsey Feldman, Rutgers, Sr., GK
Catherine Seals, Rutgers, Sr., M
Monica Joines, Syracuse, Sr., M*
* – unanimous selection
Preseason Offensive Player of the Year
Monica Joines, Syracuse, Sr., M
Preseason Defensive Player of the Year
Lyndsey Feldman, Rutgers, Sr., GK