May 3, 2011
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Four members of the Penn State women's lacrosse team have been recognized with 2011 All-American Lacrosse Conference honors, the league office announced on Tuesday. Junior goalkeeper Dana Cahill (Towson, Md.) and senior midfielder Maggie Dunbar (Cockeysville, Md.) were named First Team All-ALC while senior midfielder Jackie Eastman (Springfield, Pa.) and senior attacker Jen Steadman (Sykesville, Md.) were Second Team All-ALC selections. Cahill was also honored as the 2011 ALC Goalkeeper of the Year.
With four Nittany Lions recognized this season, Penn State has had a total of 42 All-ALC performers since the conference's inception in 2002. Cahill is the second Nittany Lion to earn ALC Goalkeeper of the Year honors, following in the footsteps of Lee Tortorelli, who won the award in 2004.
In her first season as a starter, Cahill served as the anchor of a defense that ranked among the nation's top 20 for much of the 2011 season. The two-time ALC Defensive Player of the Week has had several standout performances, playing a pivotal role in Penn State navigating one the NCAA's most difficult schedules. In an 11-10 double overtime win over rival Ohio State, Cahill recorded a career-high 14 saves, including several late in regulation that allowed the Nittany Lions to come from behind to tie and then later win the game. She earned National Defensive Player of the Week recognition from Synapse Sports following her 13-save effort in an 11-8 upset of Vanderbilt on March 20. The junior finished the regular season with a 9.61 goals against average, a .471 save percentage, 131 saves, and a team-high 44 ground balls.
Dunbar's First Team All-ALC selection is her second consecutive. Named a preseason Tewaaraton Trophy candidate, she shined in the midfield for Penn State in 2011, excelling on both the offensive and defensive ends. Providing another option on an already balanced PSU attack, Dunbar established career highs in goals (11) and points (20) and tied her previous season best in assists with nine. Always in the thick of the action, she leads the team in draw controls (40) and caused turnovers (41) and ranks second in ground balls (41). Dunbar's best all-around outing of the year came in a 12-11 win over Lehigh, as she totaled three goals, one assist, six draw controls, five ground balls, and four caused turnovers.
A year after being selected Second Team All-ALC as a defender last year, Eastman earns the conference honor again in 2011 after transitioning back to her original position in the midfield. The senior has had a career year on offense, totaling a personal best 17 goals, eight assists, and 25 points. She finished the regular season strong, totaling seven points (5 goals, 2 assists) in the Nittany Lions' final two games, including tying a career high with four points (3 goal, 1 assist) in a come-from-behind win over Johns Hopkins on April 23. Eastman, a key part of Penn State's transition game due to her speed and elusiveness, has also collected 30 ground balls, good enough for third on the team, and notched a career-high 18 draw controls and 10 caused turnovers.
Steadman has served as Penn State's primary weapon on the attack this season, netting at least one goal in 15 of 16 games. Her career-high and team-leading 32 goals marks the first time since 2006 that a Nittany Lion has reached the 30-goal plateau. Steadman's 43 points also top PSU. The senior stole the spotlight in her final regular season home appearance in the blue and white, posting a career-high six points (5 goals, 1 assist) and scoring the game winner in double overtime in Penn State's 11-10 victory over Ohio State. Steadman is the program's active leading scorer, totaling 89 goals and 46 assists for her career.
Penn State (9-7) begins postseason action on Thursday when it takes on Johns Hopkins (9-7) at 6:30 p.m. ET in a first round match-up of the 2011 American Lacrosse Conference Championship at Vanderbilt Lacrosse Stadium in Nashville, Tenn. The Nittany Lions are the tournament's No. 3 seed while the Blue Jays are seeded sixth.