May 2, 2012
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Five members of the Penn State women's lacrosse team have been recognized with 2012 All-American Lacrosse Conference honors, the league office announced on Wednesday.
Senior goalkeeper Dana Cahill (Towson, Md.) and sophomore defender Lizzy Carney (West Chester, Pa.) were named First Team All-ALC while freshman midfielder Tatum Coffey (Toms River, N.J.), freshman attacker Maggie McCormick (Eldersburg, Md.), and senior midfielder Theresa Zichelli (Severna Park, Md.) were Second Team All-ALC selections. Cahill was also honored as ALC Goalkeeper of the Year for the second consecutive year.
With five Nittany Lions recognized this season, Penn State has had a total of 47 All-ALC performers since the conference's inception in 2002. Cahill is the first Nittany Lion to earn back-to-back ALC Goalkeeper of the Year honors and to be named First Team All-ALC twice
One of just two goalkeepers to be selected as a Tewaaraton Award nominee, Cahill has served as the anchor of a defense that ranked among the nation's top 20 for much of the 2012 season. A starter of all 16 games in 2012 and 34 straight overall, she currently ranks fourth in the nation in saves (157), seventh in save percentage (.505), and 19th in goals against average (9.74). Cahill, a team co-captain, has recorded double digit saves in a total of nine games this season, including five of the last six. She earned ALC Defensive Player of the Week honors on March 5 for her standout play in Penn State's 14-7 upset win over No. 6 Virginia.
Carney made a smooth transition from the midfield to the defensive end prior to the season and emerged as one of Penn State's premier playmakers in 2012. Often matched one-on-one with the opposition's top offensive players, she routinely shut down some of the nation's best scorers. Carney ranks second on the team in ground balls (31) and caused turnovers (14) and has also scored three goals.
In the starting line-up for every game this season, Coffey and McCormick are part of a stellar Penn State freshman class that has had a major influence on the fortunes of the 2012 Nittany Lions.
Coffey has quickly established herself as a force in the midfield. She ranks second on the team with 31 goals, combining with sophomore Mackenzie Cyr (Westminster, Md.) to give Penn State its first pair of 30-goals scorers since 2006, and leads the Nittany Lions in draw controls (49) and caused turnovers (17). Coffey earned conference and multiple national honors earlier this season and appeared in Sports Illustrated's "Faces in the Crowd" after scoring a combined 11 goals in road wins over Hofstra and Vanderbilt.
The team's quarterback on the attacking end, McCormick showed the composure of a veteran player in what was a brilliant rookie campaign. Despite being consistently face guarded by opponents throughout the year, she leads Penn State with 26 assists and is tied for the lead team with 51 points. A three-time ALC Rookie of the Week honoree, McCormick also garnered national recognition for her standout play, earning WomensLax.com and SynapseSports.com Rookie of the Week honors twice.
Zichelli continued her role as a cornerstone of the Penn State midfield in her senior season. The 2012 team co-captain is both a skilled offensive player and an able defender and is key to the Nittany Lions' transition game. The team's leading active scorer with 87 points, Zichelli reached the 20-point plateau for the third time in her career this year, totaling 19 goals and four assists. She also ranks second on the team in draw controls (23) and third in ground balls (24) and caused turnovers (13).
Penn State (11-5) begins postseason action on Thursday when it takes on Johns Hopkins (8-8) at 4:30 p.m. in a first round match-up of the 2012 American Lacrosse Conference Championship at Donald R. Dizney Stadium in Gainesville, Fla. The Nittany Lions are the tournament's No. 3 seed while the Blue Jays are seeded sixth.