March 30, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Senior Kerry Shea (Baltimore, Md.) has been nominated for Best Senior Midfielder by LaxPower.com as part of its 2009 Fan Choice Awards. The 2009 team co-captain is one of 14 midfielders under consideration for the honor and one of two from an American Lacrosse Conference team, joining Northwestern's Meredith Frank.
Shea, a preseason All-ALC selection, is a true midfielder who combines scoring ability with exceptional defensive skills. A two-time Second Team All-ALC and IWLCA All-Region honoree, she currently ranks second among Nittany Lions in caused turnovers (11) and third in goals (11), ground balls (19), and draw controls (17). In 50 career games, Shea has totaled 71 goals and 15 assists.
Categories for this year's LaxPower.com fan awards, in addition to Best Senior Midfielder, include Best Senior Attack, Best Senior Defender, Best Senior Goalie, Best Senior Draw Control, Rookie of the Year, and Coach of the Year.
LaxPower will select five nominees for each award, and then fans will vote for a sixth selection during the final week of the regular season (April 26-May 2).
On May 3rd, LaxPower will post a ballot of the six women's finalists for each position. It will also nominate six freshmen for the Rookie of the Year Award and six coaches for the Coach of the Year Award. It's then up to fans to review the finalists and vote online for their favorites.
LaxPower will reveal the winners for Women's Division I on Saturday, May 23 during championship weekend.
This weekend, the Nittany Lions have the daunting task of taking on two of the nation's top teams at the ALC/ACC Challenge in Columbus, Ohio. Hosted by Ohio State at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium, Penn State will meet No. 2 Maryland (11-0) on Fri., April 3 at 5 p.m. and No. 4 North Carolina (9-2) on Sun., April 5 at 11 a.m. At the 2008 ALC/ACC Challenge in Chapel Hill, N.C., the Lions fell to the Terrapins, 12-11, in overtime, and dropped a 14-9 decision to the host Tar Heels. Penn State is a combined 17-38-1 all-time versus Maryland and UNC.