Four Gators are ALC Players of the Year; O'Leary Named ALC Coach of the Year
Thursday, May 2, 2013 | Lacrosse
With the postseason set to begin on Friday, the second-ranked University of Florida Gators lacrosse team began earning hardware on Wednesday as it garnered five American Lacrosse Conference Players of the Year and Coach of the Year honors, as announced by the league.
The Gators' seniors swept the position awards as Kitty Cullen (Rockville, Md.) is the Offensive Player of the Year, Sam Farrell (Millersville, Md.) is the Defensive Player of the Year, Brittany Dashiell (Bel Air, Md.) is the Midfielder of the Year (Bel Air, Md.) and Mikey Meagher (Liverpool, N.Y.) is the Goalie of the Year. Head coach Amanda O'Leary earned her second ALC Coach of the Year award as well.
“I am thrilled for these seniors and it is truly a testament of how hard they have worked in their four years with this program,” O'Leary said. “They have been the trailblazers for Florida lacrosse, and I couldn't more proud of them and all of our All-Conference award winners.”
Florida also leads the way with seven All-Conference selections including five first-team honorees as all four position award winners earned spots with sophomore midfielder Shannon Gilroy (Northport, N.Y.) The Gators also earned two second-team nods in seniors Ashley Bruns (Ellicott City, Md.) and Emily Dohony (Parkton, Md.) for the most selections in one season in program history.
Cullen, the 2011 ALC Player of the Year, has led Florida's potent attack, averaging 3.24 points per game and is sixth in the league in scoring. She currently has a team-high 56 points (40 goals, 16 assists) and 13 ground balls. She has helped Florida to the third-best scoring offense in the nation and has recorded a goal in 20 consecutive games for the Gators, dating back to 2012. In addition, Cullen is a 2013 Tewaaraton Award Nominee.
Farrell leads a defensive unit that has allowed less than seven goals per game and held opponents to 10 goals or less in 14 of 16 games this season. She was the ALC Defensive Player of the Week on April 23 and has recorded a team-high 17 caused turnovers, 18 ground balls and 12 draw controls.
Dashiell earns the first ever Middie of the Year honors, with the award being introduced this season. Dashiell has recorded 46 points (28 goals, 18 assists) and recently became the first player to record 200 draw controls in her career as she has compiled 48 so far this season. Dashiell tied a career-high seven draws against Northwestern to help her reach the milestone. In addition, she has also recorded 22 ground balls and nine caused turnovers. She has helped the Gators rank fourth nationally in draw controls at 14.65 per game. A 2013 Tewaaraton Award nominee, Dashiell ranks fourth in the conference at 3.0 draws per game and ninth in the league in assists per game.
Meagher has backstopped the No. 2 Gators to the nation's second-best scoring defense, posting a 6.69 goals-against average which is the fifth-best mark nationally. She also ranks sixth in save percentage and has recorded 93 saves in 2013. The Liverpool, N.Y. native has recorded a 47-8 record in her four years in a Gator uniform and is the only goalkeeper named a 2013 Tewaaraton Trophy nominee.
O'Leary, the 2011 ALC Coach of the Year, mentored the Gators to their third consecutive ALC regular-season title and the top seed in the ALC Tournament. O'Leary holds a 61-16 record at Florida and 20-7 record in ALC action.
Winners of the individual awards and All-Conference selections will be honored tomorrow in between games one and two of the ALC Tournament at Homewood Field on the campus of Johns Hopkins University at approximately 6 p.m. No. 1 seed Florida takes on the winner of No.4 seed Johns Hopkins and No. 5 seed Ohio State on Friday at 4 p.m. in the tournament semifinals.
Offensive Player of the Year
Kitty Cullen, Florida
Midfield Player of the Year
Brittany Dashiell, Florida
Defensive Player of the Year
Sam Farrell, Florida
Goalie of the Year
Mikey Meagher, Florida
Rookie of the Year
Den? DiMartino, Johns Hopkins
Coach of the Year
Amanda O'Leary, Florida
ALC First Team
Kitty Cullen, Florida
Taylor D'Amore, Johns Hopkins
Brittany Dashiell, Florida
Sam Farrell, Florida
Erin Fitzgerald, Northwestern
Gabrielle Flibotte, Northwestern
Shannon Gilroy, Florida
Katie Guy, Penn State
Kelly Lechner, Penn State
Carly Linthicum, Vanderbilt
Maggie McCormick, Penn State
Mikey Meagher, Florida
Taylor Thornton, Northwestern
ALC Second Team
Ashley Bruns, Florida
Paige Cahill, Vanderbilt
Ali Cassera, Northwestern
Sammy Cermack, Johns Hopkins
Katie Chase, Ohio State
Jackie Cifarelli, Ohio State
Mackenzie Cyr, Penn State
Dene DiMartino, Johns Hopkins
Emily Dohony, Florida
Tayler Kuzma, Ohio State
Alyssa Leonard, Northwestern
Jenna Mosketti, Penn State
