May 28, 2012
NOTRE DAME, Ind. – University of Notre Dame women’s lacrosse players Maggie Tamasitis and Margaret Smith have been selected All-Americans by both the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) and Synapse Sports, it was announced recently. Additionally, freshman Barbara Sullivan was tabbed to the Synapse Sports All-Rookie team.
All told, the IWLCA and Synapse Sports honored 48 student-athletes among the first-, second- and third-team selections, while Synapse Sports honored an additional 16 student-athletes on the All-Rookie squad.
Tamasitis earned second-team recognition from the IWLCA, while garnering third-team distinction from Synapse Sports. 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 ended 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 University. She also dished out four assists in that contest to give her nine points total, which was one of two times she accomplished that feat 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, meanwhile, received third-team honors from both publications, representing her first pair of All-America nods after a stellar sophomore campaign. On the year, she 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 and 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.
The spot on the All-Rookie squad for Sullivan marks the third postseason honor for the defensive stalwart, alongside being named IWLCA West/Midwest first-team all-region and second team all-BIG EAST. She 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).
Sullivan 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. In addition to her all-BIG EAST selection, Sullivan earned a spot on the BIG EAST Weekly Honor Roll once during the campaign.
–ND–