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Saturday, May 28, 2005
DEEGAN, BRADLEY INSIDE LACROSSE ALL-AMERICAS
National scoring champion Deegan also to compete in senior game
WILLIMANTIC, Conn. – Senior attack Mo Deegan (WESTPORT) and sophomore defender Kara Bradley (NORTH HAVEN) became the first All-America selections in women’s lacrosse history when they were second-team selections to the Inside Lacrosse NCAA Division III All-America Team.
A total of 48 individuals representing 26 institutions were honored with selections to either the first, second or third team. Ten New England institutions were represented with at least one All-America selection.
Deegan was accorded additional honors by being named to the IWLCA/STX North-S
outh Senior Farewell Festival this Saturday at the University of Maryland-Baltimore County and also became the program’s first-ever first-team pick to the ECAC Division III New England All-Star Team. She was joined as an ECAC all-star by second-team selections Bradley, senior defender Xiomara Lopez (GROTON) and first-year sophomore goalie Erin Calkins (STONY BROOK, NY).
This year, Deegan led Division III in points (116) and was tied for second in assists (47) – establishing program season record in both categories – to go along with a career-high 69 goals. She finished fifth nationally in assists per game (2.35), sixth in points per game (5.80) and 17th in draw controls per game (3.75). She concluded her career as the program’s all-time leader with 243 goals, 136 assists, 379 points, 189 draw controls and 76 free-position goals. In four post-season games this year – two in the conference and two in the NCAA tournament – Deegan had 14 goals, 12 assists, 17 draw controls, seven ground balls and four caused turnovers. Seven of her match-record seven assists came in a 13-8 first-round NCAA win at Springfield College.
At Eastern, Deegan was also a two-time second-team all-region field hockey selection and is that program’s all-time leader in goals, assists and points, as well.
Bradley led Eastern this year with 70 ground balls, a program season-record 43 caused turnovers and was second to Deegan with 32 draw controls. Having also contributed 13 goals and four assists during the season, Bradley was named Most Outstanding Player of the conference tournament. In two tournament games, she had six ground balls, won five draws and caused two turnovers and also had three goals and an assist.
Inside Lacrosse publishes a monthly magazine and hosts a web site and is considered to be the authority on amateur and professional lacrosse in the United States. It is one of two organizations which sponsors a Division III All-America women’s lacrosse team. An additional All-America team is sponsored by the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) in conjunction with US Lacrosse, the national governing body of men's and women's lacrosse.
Deegan becomes the program’s third selection to the IWLCA Senior Farewell Festival in the past five years, joining goalie Erica Blozie last year and attack Stephanie Altman in 2001. Deegan was among 19 picks to the North team, which will face a South team comprised of 21 players at 11 a.m. Four attacks were named to the North team, among them first-team All-Americas Becca Vogel of Wesleyan University and Kayte Hall of Messiah College.
In her first season in the program, Calkins played all possible 1,200 minutes in net. She finished third in the Little East Conference with a 9.35 goals-against average and third with a .550 save percentage. She set program season records for appearances (20), starts (20), minutes and saves (229) and in the NCAA regional tournament game against No.-1 ranked national runner-up Salisbury University, tied the match record with 24 saves. In regular-season losses to nationally-ranked Wesleyan University and Trinity College, Calkins made 21 saves in each.
Earlier, Deegan was a first-team NCAA Division III All-New England Region pick -- becoming Eastern’s first first-team selection -- while Bradley and Calkins were second-team choices. Deegan, Bradley, Calkins and Lopez were also first-team All-Little East Conference selections this year. Deegan was named to the all-conference team for the fourth time -- the first player in conference history to perform this feat -- while Bradley was selected as Defensive Player-of-the-Year and Calkins Rookie-of-the-Year.
The team’s most experienced returning defender, Lopez started all of the team’s matches for the third straight year and appeared in every match for the fourth straight season, finishing as the co-leader with 72 career appearances. She contributed 37 ground balls and caused 14 turnovers this past spring.
This year’s four selections give Eastern a total of nine All-ECAC picks in the past four years. Prior to this year, three Eastern players were named to the second team and two as honorable mention.
The Warriors concluded their tenth intercollegiate with a 13-7 record, first conference playoff title and first NCAA tournament berth. They captured 13 of 15 – including seven straight – after opening the season with four straight losses to nationally-ranked opponents.
