May 10, 2004
Providence, R.I. – The Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team had six players selected to the all-BIG EAST women’s lacrosse team – with three first-team choices and three second-team picks – as the Conference announced its regular season awards on Monday in voting done by the league’s coaches.
Senior attack standout Meredith Simon (Flemington, N.J.) capped her outstanding 2004 season as she was named the BIG EAST co-attack player of the year along with Syracuse’s Leigh-Ann Zimmer. Both players were also unanimous first team selections at attack. Simon set a Notre Dame single-season record with 72 points on the year (46 goals and 26 assists) and tied Zimmer for the league lead with 29 points. Simon recorded league-high 19 goals and 10 assists in six league games. She also turned in a career high 45 ground balls and 31 draw controls. For her career, Simon has 109 goals and 47 assists for 156 career points.
Senior midfielder Abby Owen (Briarcliff Manor, N.Y.) was named the conference’s midfielder of the year after getting 33 goals and 10 assists for 43 points, all career highs. She tied for second on the team with 21 ground balls and had 28 ground balls on the year, also career highs. Owen was selected first team all-BIG EAST after being a second team selection in 2003. Owen is the second Notre Dame player to be named midfielder of the year as she joins 2002 selection Danielle Shearer ’03.
Head coach Tracy Coyne was selected as the BIG EAST coach of the year after leading the Irish to a 12-4 overall record and a 4-2 mark in league play, good for a tie for second with Syracuse. Coyne also guided Notre Dame to its second appearance in three years in the NCAA tournament. The Irish begin play on Thursday, May 13 at Northwestern. The Irish started the season with a 10-0 record and were ranked as high as second in the nation, the highest-ranking Notre Dame has ever achieved in the eight-year history of the program. Coyne’s squad was 6-3 on the year versus nationally ranked teams.
Joining Simon and Owen on the first team from Notre Dame is senior defender Andrea Kinnik (West Chester, Pa.). A first team selection in 2003, Kinnik led the BIG EAST and the Irish in ground balls with 54 and ranks 13th in the nation with 3.37 ground balls per game. She also led Notre Dame with 32 caused turnovers and was third in draw controls with 22. A first team all-Mid-Atlantic region pick in 2003, Kinnik was also selected third team All-American by insidelacrosse.com. She was one of five players selected unanimously to the first team.
Selected second team from Notre Dame was senior attack Lauren Fischer (Pittsburgh, Pa.), junior defender Jess Mikula (Chester, Md.) and sophomore attack Crysti Foote (Suffern, N.Y.).
Fischer had a career season for the Irish as she finished third in scoring with 27 goals and 12 assists for 39 points, all career highs. She also was third on the team with a career-high 37 ground balls. On the season, Fischer scored at least one point in 15 of Notre Dame’s 16 games. For her career, Fischer has 63 goals and 20 assists for 83 points in 51 games.
For Mikula, the 2004 season was her first as a starter on defense. She was a key part of a defense that gave up just 8.45 goals per game on the year. For the year she was fourth on the team with 33 ground balls and tied for second with 21 caused turnovers. She also grabbed 10 draw controls while making 16 starts on the year.
Foote finished fourth on the Irish in scoring with 24 goals and eight assists for 32 points in 16 starts on the year. A first team all-Mid-Atlantic region selection as a freshman, Foote had multiple-point games in 11 of 16 games. In just two seasons at Notre Dame, she already has 51 goals and 19 assists for 70 points.
The Irish are one of two BIG EAST teams that begin BIG EAST play this week. Georgetown, the regular-season conference champion opens NCAA play on Thursday, May 13 at Duke. Notre Dame begins its tournament action on May 13 when the Irish travel to sixth-ranked Northwestern. Game time is 3:00 p.m. (CDT).
2004 BIG EAST Women’s Lacrosse Awards
Co-Attack Players of the Year
Meredith Simon, Sr., Notre Dame
Leigh-Ann Zimmer, Sr., Syracuse
Midfielder of the Year
Abby Owen, Sr., Notre Dame
Defensive Player of the Year
** Michi Ellers, Sr., Georgetown
Coach of the Year
Tracy Coyne, Notre Dame
**denotes unanimous selection
All-BIG EAST First Team All-BIG EAST Second Team* Michi Ellers, Sr., D, Georgetown Katie Batiuk, Fr., M, Rutgers* Monica Joines, Jr., A, Syracuse Maggie Bopp, Jr., M, Rutgers* Andrea Kinnik, Sr., D, Notre Dame Susie Breaznell, Jr., A, Boston CollegeGloria Lozano, Sr., M, Georgetown Allison Chambers, Jr., M, GeorgetownMelissa MacDougall, Sr., D, Connecticut Lyndsey Feldman, Jr., GK, RutgersTracy Mullaney, Jr., M, Connecticut Lauren Fischer, Sr., A, Notre DameSarah Oliphant, Jr., A, Georgetown Crysti Foote, So., A, Notre DameAbby Owen, Sr., M, Notre Dame Kariana Lauri, Sr., M, ConnecticutSarah Robinson, Jr., GK, Georgetown Danielle Lillis, Sr., A, Syracuse* Meredith Simon, Sr., A, Notre Dame Jess Mikula, Jr., D, Notre DameCarley St. Lucia, Jr., M, Boston College Anouk Peters, Sr., A, Georgetown*Leigh-Ann Zimmer, Sr., A, Syracuse Catherine Seals, Jr., D, Rutgers Stephanie Walker, So., D, Syracuse Lindsey Welch, Sr., M/A, Virginia Tech*denotes unanimous selection