Link to Complete Team
Ewing, NJ…This spring marked the first year the New Jersey Athletic Conference sponsored women’s lacrosse and The College of New Jersey made it the year of the Lions as they swept all six postseason awards. TCNJ also had six players garner All-NJAC First Team honors.
Sophomore Alison Jaeger (Hampton, NJ/North Hunterdon) was named the 2009 NJAC Attack Player of the Year as she led the conference and the Lions in scoring with 57 goals and 72 points. Senior Katie Reuther (Toms River, NJ/Toms River North) captured Midfielder of the Year honors contributing 49 points on 22 goals and 27 assists. Her 27 assists rank second in the NJAC.
The honors continued for the Lions as senior Kelly Mitchell (Mt. Laurel, NJ/Lenape) was recognized as the Defensive Player of the Year. Mitchell played a key role as the Lions ranks first nationally in goals-against-average at 6.18. She also added a team-leading 36 ground balls. Sophomore Mary Waller (Bel Air, MD/C. Milton Wright) garnered Goaltender of the Year honors and was a perfect 4-0 in conference games with a mere GAA of 2.05 in those games. Waller is also the national leader in that category at 6.44 a game.
The final player to earn a special award was freshman Kathleen Notos (Pennsauken, NJ/Camden Catholic) as she was selected as the NJAC Rookie of the Year. Notos has been a consistent performer all season picking up 27 goals, 22 ground balls, and 39 draw controls.
After guiding the Lions to the first title in conference history, Head Coach Sharon Pfluger was named the 2009 NJAC Coach of the Year. The team defeated Rowan University on the final day of the season to wrap up the title and it was also Pfluger’s 350th win on TCNJ’s sideline.
All five players who received individual honors were named All-NJAC First Team, along with senior defender Tara Klein (Ocean, NJ/Ocean Township). Klein is another of TCNJ’s steady defensive unit as she racked up 23 ground balls, 26 draw controls, and 13 caused turnovers.
The Lions finished the regular season with a 15-2 record and perfect 4-0 in the conference. The team will continue its season this weekend hosting a regional round of the NCAA Division III Championships on Saturday, May 9 and Sunday, May 10. TCNJ will face either SUNY Cortland or Claremont-Mudd-Scripps on Saturday at 11:30 a.m.