Five Irish Players Selected To All-BIG EAST Teams

May 4, 2011

Washington, D.C. – Five members of the Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team were named to the BIG EAST all-conference first and second team on Wednesday night at the season ending awards banquet held at the Holiday Inn Rosslyn.

Three members of the team – seniors Shaylyn Blaney (Stony Brook, N.Y.) and Jackie Doherty (Ellicott City, Md.) and junior Maggie Tamasitis (Boyertown, Pa.) – were selected all-BIG EAST First Team. They were joined by second team selections Kailene Abt (Sr., Huntington, N.Y.) and freshman Kaitlyn Brosco (Shoreham, N.Y.). This marks the third consecutive year that Blaney was selected first team all-BIG EAST (she was also a second team all-BIG EAST selection in her freshman year) while Doherty has been a first teamer in each of the last two seasons. Abt makes her second consecutive second-team appearance while Tamasitis and Brosco are first time selections.

A two-time IWLCA All-American, Blaney is in the midst of her fourth outstanding season at midfield for Notre Dame. She comes into this week’s BIG EAST Tournament tied for the team lead with 29 goals while adding a career high 10 assists for 39 points to rank second on the team in scoring. She also has proven again this season that she can dominate a game at both ends of the field as she is second on the team in ground balls (40), first in draw controls (35) and second in caused turnovers with a career best 36. She is currently third in the BIG EAST with 2.06 caused turnovers per game and ninth in the nation with that total.

The talented midfielder enters the BIG EAST Tournament ranked third in goals (156), seventh in points (182), fifth in ground balls (131), first in draw controls (163) and second in caused turnovers with 110 for her Irish career.

Junior Maggie Tamasitis was named first team all-BIG EAST as she leads Notre Dame in assists (39) and points (60).

Blaney is joined on the BIG EAST First Team by Doherty who is recognized as one of the top defensive players in the nation. A first team IWLCA All-American as a junior, Doherty leads Notre Dame with 49 ground balls, is second with 33 draw controls and set an Irish record for caused turnovers in a season with 45. She leads the BIG EAST with 2.53 caused turnovers per game and is currently third in the nation in that category. She leads an Irish defense that is giving up just 9.30 goals per game, the third lowest total in the program’s history. Doherty is Notre Dame’s all-time leader in caused turnovers (116), is third in ground balls (170) and fifth in draw controls with 110.

Senior Kailene Abt was named second team all-BIG EAST for the second consecutive year.

Tamasitis is the third member of the team to be selected first team all-BIG EAST. The talented playmaker has put together the best season of her career, leading the team in scoring with 21 goals and 39 assists for 60 points, all career highs. She is tied for sixth in the conference in scoring and is second in assists. Tamasitis brings a 35-game, point-scoring streak into the BIG EAST Tournament as she has now scored at least a point in every game of her sophomore and junior seasons. During the streak, she has 39 goals and 65 assists for 104 points. As a junior she has cracked Notre Dame’s top 10 lists in assists as she is currently second all-time with 85 in her career, just 21 behind Irish leader Gina Scioscia `10 (106). She also is 10th all-time in points with 139 in 56 career games.

Abt makes her second appearance on the all-BIG EAST second team, as she is fifth in scoring with 25 goals and six assists for 31 points. She has added 10 ground balls, 17 draw controls and four caused turnovers to her ledger this season with her 25 goals ranking third on the team. She also has moved into the top 10 in several categories this season as she is ninth all-time with 107 goals, ranks 11th in points (134) and is ninth in draw controls with 91 all-time.

Freshman Kaitlyn Brosco was named second team all-BIG EAST in her rookie year. She is tied for the team lead in goals with 29.

Joining Abt on the second team is Brosco who joins Blaney and Abt as another in a long line of talented midfielders from Long Island to play at Notre Dame. The rookie broke into the Irish starting lineup after seven games and hasn’t looked back as she currently is tied for the team lead with Blaney in goals with 29 and has added seven assists to rank third on the team in scoring with 36 points. She has a chance to become the first freshman in the 15-year history of the program to lead the team in goals in a season. One of the top freshmen in the nation coming into the 2011 campaign, Brosco has 12 games this year with two or more points and has had three or more goals in three of her last four games. Brosco is the first Irish freshman to be named to an all-BIG EAST team since Blaney in 2008.

Notre Dame goes into the 2011 BIG EAST Tournament as the fourth seed and is 9-8 overall this year and 6-2 in conference play. The Irish will face top-seeded Georgetown (9-7, 7-1) at 8:15 p.m. on Thursday, May 5 in the second semifinal game. The opening game will start at 5:30 p.m. with second-seed Syracuse (10-7, 7-1) facing third-seed Loyola (14-2, 6-2). Both games will be played at Georgetown’s Multi-Sport Field and will be televised by CBS College Sports.

The BIG EAST Championship game will be played on Saturday, May 7 at 1:00 p.m.

The 2011 BIG EAST All-Conference Teams:

First Team                                   Second TeamShaylyn Blaney, Sr., M, Notre Dame *         Kailene Abt, Sr., M, Notre Dame

Emily Dashiell, Sr., M, Louisville * Kelly Barnes, Jr., D, GeorgetownJackie Doherty, Sr., D, Notre Dame Becca Block, So., D, Syracuse Bergan Foley, Sr., A, Louisville Kelsi Bozel, So., M, Georgetown Grace Gavin, Sr., A, Loyola (Md.) * Kaitlyn Brosco, Fr., M, Notre Dame Liz Hogan, Sr., GK, Syracuse Meg Decker, Sr., M, Loyola Jordy Kirr, Sr., A, Georgetown Justine Donodeo, Jr., M, Villanova Tee Ladouceur, Sr., A, Syracuse Kellye Gallagher, Sr., D, Loyola M.E. Lapham, Jr., A, Connecticut Ana Heneberry, Jr., D, Loyola Logan McCraw, Sr., D, Georgetown Mary Heneberry, Sr., A, Loyola Abby Rehfuss, Sr., M, Loyola Dina Jackson, So., A, Georgetown Catherine Rodriquez, Sr., D, Syracuse Liz Lovejoy, Sr., A, LouisvilleMaggie Tamasitis, Jr., A, Notre Dame Katie Oliverio, Jr., A, Louisville Sophia Thomas, So., M, Georgetown Marlee Paton, Fr., M, Loyola Michelle Tumolo, So., A, Syracuse Ali Steinberg, Jr., M, Rutgers Katie Webster, Fr., M, Syracuse Kerry Stoothoff, Jr., GK, Loyola Marley Walsh, Sr., M, Rutgers

* unanimous selections

2011 BIG EAST Women’s Lacrosse Awards

Attack Player of the Year Grace Gavin, Sr., A, Loyola

Defensive Player of the Year Logan McCraw, Sr., D, Georgetown

Midfielder of the Year Sophia Thomas, So., M, Georgetown

Co-Coach of the Year Jen Adams, Loyola Gary Gait, Syracuse