June 28, 2006
Notre Dame, Ind. – Two members of the Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team have been named to the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) academic honor roll for the 2006 campaign. Juniors Kristin Hopson (Rosemont, Pa.) and Meghan Murphy (Centennial, Colo.) are among the 141 Division I women’s lacrosse junior and senior players with 3.5 grade-point averages or better to be honored by the coaches’ association.
As a team, the Irish were also among 42 Division I women’s lacrosse programs to take IWLCA all-academic squad honors as teams with a 3.0 grade-point average or better for the second semester of the 2005-06 academic year. The Notre Dame women’s lacrosse team had a 3.227 grade point average for the spring semester.
Hopson is a first-time selection to the IWLCA academic honor roll after turning in a 3.582 grade-point average with a double major in sociology and psychology. A two-year starter on the Irish defense, Hopson helped lead the Irish to a school-best 15-4 record and a first-ever trip to the NCAA semifinals in 2006. On the field, she collected 24 ground balls, seven draw controls and 13 caused turnovers on a defense that held opponents to 9.72 goals-per-game. For her career, Hopson has played in 38 games, making 28 starts with 41 ground balls, 11 draw controls and 23 caused turnovers to her credit.
Murphy is also a first-time honoree on the IWLCA academic honor roll with a 3.70 grade-point average with a double major in anthropology and pre-professional studies. A third-team ESPN The Magazine academic All-America selection on the women’s at-large team this spring, Murphy turned in career highs in goals (14), assists (9) and points (23) and finished fifth in scoring from her attack spot on Notre Dame’s record-setting offense. She also received the team’s Notre Dame Club of St. Joseph Valley Rockne Student-Athlete Award for her work in the classroom. Earlier this spring, Murphy became the first Irish women’s lacrosse player to receive the prestigious Christopher Zorich Service Award for her community service work both in the South Bend community and her hometown of Denver, Colo. A member of the Notre Dame Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), she will serve as the organization’s vice-president during the 2006-07 season.