Aug. 3, 2009
Catonsville, Md. – For the second consecutive year, Notre Dame attack standout Jillian Byers `09 has been selected to the U.S. Lacrosse Developmental Team. Notre Dame’s all-time leading scorer was one of 24 players selected from a pool of 64 of the top women’s lacrosse players in the country at a two-day tryout last weekend at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County.
Among the 24 players selected, 14 have previous national teams experience either with the Developmental or Elite teams. The roster includes three players each from 2009 NCAA Division I finalists Northwestern and North Carolina plus three from Boston University.
Team USA debuts on Oct. 11 at the fourth-annual US Lacrosse Stars and Stripes event. The newly selected team and the gold-medal winning U.S. World Cup team will play North Carolina and James Madison at St. Stephen’s & St. Agnes School in Alexandria, Va.
Byers, who graduated from Notre Dame last May, was a four-time All-American for the Irish, taking IWLCA first team honors in her senior year after being a second team selection from 2006-08. She is the first Notre Dame player to be a four-time All-American.
A finalist for the Tewaaraton Trophy and the Honda Sports Award, Byers set a Notre Dame single-season record for goals (83) and draw controls (55) during the 2009 campaign while recording career highs in assists (28), points (111), ground balls (34) and caused turnovers (26). The 83 goals ranked her second in the nation and the 111 points were third best in the country.
A four-time unanimous first team all-BIG EAST selection, she was the BIG EAST co-attack player of the year in her senior year as she led the conference in goals and was second in points.
For her four seasons at Notre Dame, Byers, the 2009 team captain and team Most Valuable Player, finished as the school’s all-time leader in games played (76), goals (262), points (336) and draw controls (154). She is the BIG EAST’s all-time leader in goals for a single season (31 in 2009) and career goals with 78. Her 42 points in 2009 are the second highest single-season total and her 101 career points are the second-best total in BIG EAST history. During her senior year, Byers set the conference’s single-game point mark with 12 (seven goals and five assists) in an April 18 win over Connecticut. In NCAA history, she ranks sixth all-time in goals with 262 and 10th in career points with 336.
The Northport, N.Y., native joins former Irish players Caitlin McKinney `08, Danielle Shearer `03 and Kathryn Lam `02 to spend two season as members of the U.S. Developmental Team.