DURHAM, N.H.- University of New Hampshire swept each of the three major awards handed out by America East at the women's lacrosse banquet Wednesday night. Junior attack Jess Burnap was named America East Player of the Year. First-year defender Cristina Covucci was selected Rookie of the Year. Sandy Bridgeman was the choice as Coach of the Year. All of the voting was conducted by the conference's head coaches. Awards
Burnap leads America East and ranks third in the nation with 61 goals in 17 games (3.59 per game). She has added eight assists and ranks third in the conference with 69 points (4.06 per game).
Covucci anchors the Wildcat defense which leads America East and ranks seventh nationally with 7.59 goals allowed per game. She is second in the conference and seventh in the nation with 61 ground balls (3.51 per game) and is second in America East and 11th nationally with 34 caused turnovers (2.00 per game).
Bridgeman, who was also coach of the year in 2001 and 2002, has led the Wildcats to a 13-4 overall record and a perfect 6-0 mark in America East in the regular season. New Hampshire is ranked No. 18 in the most recent Brine/IWLCA poll. The Wildcats enter the America East Championship with a 12-game winning streak. She is 67-66 in her eight-year career at New Hampshire.
Burnap, who earned first-team all-conference honors in 2003 after earning second-team accolades in 2002, is joined on the first-team at attack by sophomore Mary Beth Miller of Boston University, senior Jen Dragoni of UMBC and sophomore Katie Leland of New Hampshire. Miller ranks second on the Terriers in scoring with 24 goals and 12 assists for 36 points. Dragoni is seventh in the conference with 32 goals in 15 games (2.13 per game) and eighth in points with 45 (3.00 per game). Leland, who is second in the conference in both goals (50, 2.94 per game) and assists (25, 1.47 per game) leads America East and ranks 10th nationally with 75 points (4.41 per game).
Senior Sarah Cahill of New Hampshire is a repeat selection on the first team at midfield. She is joined by sophomore Kaitlyn Cuneo of Boston University, sophomore Kelly Fiorani of UMBC and junior Laura Dosdall of New Hampshire. Cahill has scored 17 goals and has added three assists for 20 points. Cuneo has scored 25 goals and has added seven assists for 32 points. Fiorani is fifth in the conference with 32 goals (2.29 per game) and seventh in scoring with 44 points (3.14 per game). Dosdall has 18 goals and three assists for 21 points.
Covucci is joined by first-team defenders Michelle Bussichella, a sophomore from Boston University, junior Stephanie Crouch of UMBC, and junior Renee Nemmers of New Hampshire.
First-year goalkeeper Stacey Plati is the first-team choice at that position. She leads America East and ranks eighth nationally with an 8.00 goals against average.
Senior Sasha Lang and junior midfielder Alyssa Trudel of Boston University were chosen as at-large selections. Lang, a first-team choice last season after earning second-team honors as a sophomore, has played both midfield and defender for the Terriers while Trudel, the 2003 America East Player of the Year, has scored 21 goals and added 13 assists in 14 games.
The second team includes first-year attack Becky Green of Binghamton University, who leads America East and ranks third in the nation with 32 assists (2.13 per game) and is second in the conference with 62 points (4.13 per game). She is joined at attack by sophomore Lindsay Lewis of Boston University, senior Kelly Blaney of New Hampshire and junior Vanessa Cox of University of Vermont.
Senior Alexis DiDomenico and rookie Kate Fontana of University at Albany, rookie Kelly Fahey of UMBC, senior Sarah Booker of Vermont and senior Beth Arikian of Stony Brook University are the second-team midfielders. Fontana ranks among the conference leaders in goals (fifth), points (sixth), ground balls (first), draw controls (third), free-position goals (fourth), shots (fifth) and caused turnovers (first).
The second-team defenders are sophomore Kristen Mathias of Albany, sophomore Danica Strutt and rookie Nicole Cooper of Boston University, and sophomore Marrisa Trachtenberg of Stony Brook.
Senior Kate McBride of Vermont, who leads America East and ranks eighth in the nation in save percentage (.560) is the second-team goalkeeper.
The all-rookie team consists of all-conference choices Fontana, Green, Cooper, Fahey, Covucci and Plati. They are joined by goalkeeper Jen Daly and midfielder Sarah Spillett of Albany, attack Angie Martin of Boston University, attack Carlee Buck, goalkeeper Jen Sandtorv and attack/midfielder Amy Taylor of Stony Brook and attack Ashleigh Wilson of Vermont.
Each of the 15 first team all-conference selections and eight of the 14 second-team choices will be in action this week at the America East Women's Lacrosse Championship. No. 1 New Hampshire plays No. 4 Albany at 1 p.m. Thursday, with No. 2 Boston University and No. 3 UMBC to follow. The championship game is scheduled for 12 noon Saturday. All games will be played at Memorial Field in Durham, N.H.