April 28, 2009
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Five members of the Penn State women's lacrosse team have earned 2009 All-American Lacrosse Conference honors, the league office announced on Tuesday. Senior midfielder Kerry Shea (Baltimore, Md.) was named First Team All-ALC while sophomore defender Ashley Boccio (Northport, N.Y.), junior midfielder Theresa Bucci (Hudson, Ohio), junior goalkeeper Stephanie Ellis (Bryn Mawr, Pa.), and junior attacker Erica Mihm (Annapolis, Md.) were Second Team All-ALC selections.
With five selections this season, Penn State has had a total of 35 All-ALC performers since the conference's inception in 2002.
A true midfielder who is equally skilled at scoring on the attack and making defensive stops, Kerry Shea has fashioned a standout senior season to secure her third consecutive All-ALC accolade. She owns a share of the team lead in goals with 23, is tied for second in ground balls (26) and ranks second in caused turnovers (17) and third in draws controls (25). A Second Team All-ALC and All-West-Midwest Regional selection in 2007 and 2008, Shea has totaled 83 goals and 17 assists over the course of her brilliant 56-game career.
Ashley Boccio receives her first All-ALC recognition in her first season as a starter. A linchpin of the Penn State defense in 2009, she was often tasked with matching up with the opposition's top offensive weapon. Boccio earned her first career point in her first collegiate start, notching an assist in a 20-7 rout of Lafayette. In 15 games, the second generation Nittany Lion has tallied 10 ground balls, three caused turnovers, and two draw controls.
Junior attacker Erica Mihm |
Theresa Bucci earns Second Team All-ALC accolades for the second consecutive year with her 2009 selection. Also recognized on the preseason All-ALC team, Bucci, after a slow start to the season, has caught fire of late, tallying 16 points (12 goals, 4 assists) in Penn State's final seven regular season games. A starter of all 15 games, she has also contributed 20 ground balls, nine caused turnovers, and eight draw controls this season.
Stephanie Ellis becomes Penn State's first All-ALC goalkeeper since Lee Tortorelli in 2005. A two-time ALC Defensive Player of the Week honoree this season in 2009, Ellis owns a 10.65 goals against average and a .449 save percentage. The anchor of the ALC's second-ranked defense, she also leads the team in ground balls with 32 and has eight caused turnovers to her credit.
Erica Mihm burst onto the conference and national scene with a standout 2009 season in which she set personal bests in goals (23), assists (10), and points (33). In the final two games of the regular season, Mihm came alive, scoring seven goals to move into a share of the team lead with Kerry Shea. Tall and athletic, she tops the Nittany Lions and ranks fourth in the conference in draw controls with 38.
Penn State (8-7, 2-2 ALC) will begin its postseason run on Friday when it takes on Ohio State (11-5, 2-2 ALC) at 5:30 p.m. in a semifinal match-up of the 2009 American Lacrosse Conference Championship at Jeffrey Field. The host Nittany Lions are the No. 2 seed, their highest seeding ever in the three-year history of the tournament, while the Buckeyes are the No. 3 seed.
Tickets for the 2009 ALC Championship will be sold on game day at the gate only. Prices are $7 for adults and $4 for students/youth. Groups of 20 or more (any age) are $3.