May 1, 2008
NASHVILLE, Tenn. — A total of seven Commodores earned postseason honors from the American Lacrosse Conference, including Goalkeeper of the Year Brooke Shinaberry and Coach of the Year Cathy Swezey, when commissioner Peggy Pruitt announced the league’s annual awards Thursday.
Shinaberry, from Millersville, Md., headlined a league-high four selections on the ALC First Team. She was joined by seniors Sasha Cielak and Margie Curran, and junior Cara Giordano. Senior Heather Koutrakos and sophomore Carter Foote also were selected to the ALC Second Team.
“I am very proud of our girls for their effort this season,” Swezey said. “To have so many of our players recognized on the all-conference team is a true honor. I am very happy for Brooke. She has been a work horse, and deserves the senior year she is having.”
The two awards highlight an outstanding campaign for Shinaberry, who was only the second Commodore to earn Player of the Week honors from the league twice in the same season. After wins over two Top 10 squads in late April, Shinaberry was lauded as the National Player of the Week by womenslax.com, insidelacrosse.com and womenslacrosse.com. The fifth-year senior also has been awarded the prestigious Brad Davis Southeastern Conference Community Service Post-Graduate Scholarship for her work throughout the community.
After leading Vanderbilt to its first 12-win regular season in school history, Swezey earned ALC Coach of the Year honors for the second time in her 11-year career. Swezey led the Commodores to a Top 10 ranking by closing the regular season with five straight victories.
“I know that I am only as good as the people I am surrounded by,” Swezey said. “My assistant coaches, Sue [Ellis] and Megan [Riley], have worked tirelessly this year, and our players have done everything we have asked of them. It is an honor that has been earned by the joint effort of 28 people.
“I am also incredibly excited to see Margie and Sasha honored for the fourth time during their collegiate careers,” Swezey continued. “That is quite an accomplishment. They are both very deserving and have been two of the biggest playmakers we have ever had in our program.”
Cielak, a defender from Sparks, Md., becomes the first Commodore to earn first-team honors in three consecutive seasons. She has led Vanderbilt in caused turnovers and ground balls the past three seasons, and was recently named a nominee for the 2008 Tewaaraton Trophy, awarded to the nation’s top player.
Along with Cielak, Curran has also been named to the all-conference team in each of her four years at Vanderbilt. This season’s honor was the second first-team award for the Moorestown, N.J., native. Curran is Vanderbilt’s career leader in points and assists, and needs only 12 more goals to surpass VU great Sue Napolitano in that category.
A high school teammate of Curran, Giordano earned second-team honors during her first two seasons in Nashville. The third-year midfielder is among VU’s top three in goals, points, draw controls and caused turnovers this year.
“Cara is on the same track as her senior counterparts, as this is her third year to be honored on the All-ALC team,” Swezey said. “We are thankful for all she brings to our squad. It also was great to see Heather and Carter honored on the second team. Heather has had the best season of her career on defense, and Carter has provided the scoring punch we have needed — especially late in the season.”
Both Koutrakos and Foote were honored by the league for the first time. A three-year starter, Koutrakos battled injuries early in her career before becoming on a stalwart on the Commodore defense. Foote has emerged as one of the Vanderbilt’s top scoring threats, currently ranking second in goals with 32 tallies this season.
Vanderbilt’s four first-team honorees topped all schools. Northwestern and Johns Hopkins each boasted three players of the First Team, while Ohio State and Penn State each had one. NU’s Hannah Nielsen was named the league’s Player of the Year, while OSU’s Maghan Beaudrault earned Rookie of the year honors.
The American Lacrosse Conference will converge on Evanston, Ill., this weekend for the second-annual ALC Tournament, hosted at Northwestern’s Lakeside Field. The event kicks off on Friday, May 2, with the play-in game between fourth-seeded Ohio State and fifth-seeded Penn State. The winner of that contest will face top-seeded Northwestern on Saturday at 12 Noon CT, with a Vanderbilt-John Hopkins matchup to follow at approximately 2 p.m. Sunday’s championship game is scheduled for 12 Noon.