Feb. 10, 2009
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — The Commodores were picked to finish second in the American Lacrosse Conference this season behind Northwestern. Carter Foote and Cara Giordano were named to the ALC Preseason All-Conference team, which was announced with the ALC projections last week.
Vanderbilt, who is also ranked No. 12 nationally in the IWLCA preseason poll, finished second in the ALC regular season last year, and runner-up to eventual national champion Northwestern in the conference tournament. Giordano and Foote both earned All-ALC honors for Vanderbilt in 2008, as Giordano was a first team honoree while Foote was named to the second team.
“We are excited to have our peers recognize us both nationally and in the ALC,” Cathy Swezey, VU head coach, said. “We know that we play in the one of the toughest conferences in the country, and we are honored to be ranked second in the ALC.
“We are also pleased to see that Cara and Carter have been recognized on the ALC Preseason team. They both had outstanding seasons in 2008, and we are certain that they will perform at an even higher level this year.”
In a vote of the league’s five head coaches, Northwestern University, the four-time defending national champions, has been picked to win its fifth ALC title in a row. The Wildcats have won 23 consecutive conference games and have not lost since the final regular-season game of 2004. Northwestern senior Hannah Nielsen, the 2008 Tewaaraton Trophy recipient, has also been selected as the preseason Player of the Year.
Nielsen, who ranks third all-time in Division I in career assists with 141 and sits just eight assists away from second place, is the reigning ALC Player of the Year. She is joined on the preseason team by four teammates, including Hilary Bowen, Morgan Lathrop, and Meredith Frank.
Vanderbilt, Johns Hopkins, and Penn State, who are ranked second, third and fourth in the preseason ALC poll, each claim two student-athletes on the team. Ohio State’s Maghan Beaudrault, the 2008 ALC Rookie of the Year, rounds out the team.
Bowen, Lathrop, and Frank were each All-Americans in 2008 as the Wildcats won their fourth consecutive national championship. Frank was the 2006 ALC Rookie of the Year, while Lathrop was the 2007 ALC Goalie of the Year.
Johns Hopkins’ Sam Schrum was the 2007 ALC Rookie of the Year, and Angela Hughes was a second team All-Conference honoree in 2008. Theresa Bucci and Kerry Shea from Penn State were both named to the ALC Second Team in 2008
The American Lacrosse Conference will sponsor the 2009 conference tournament at Penn State, April 30 – May 2. The winner of the tournament will earn the conference’s automatic bid to the NCAA Championships for 2009.
ALC Projected Order of Finish
1. Northwestern
2. Vanderbilt
3. Johns Hopkins
4. Penn State
5. Ohio State
ALC Preseason All-Conference Team
Maghan Beaudrault, Ohio State
Hilary Bowen, Northwestern
Theresa Bucci, Penn State
Cara Giordano, Vanderbilt
Morgan Lathrop, Northwestern
Carter Foote, Vanderbilt
Meredith Frank, Northwestern
Angela Hughes, Johns Hopkins
Hannah Nielsen, Northwestern
Sam Schrum, Johns Hopkins
Kerry Shea, Penn State
Danielle Spencer, Northwestern
