2010 Rock Lacrosse Schedule

LOCK HAVEN, Pa. -- The Slippery Rock University women's lacrosse team was selected to finish fifth in the Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference-Western Division, as announced in the preseason coaches poll released by the league office Wednesday.

The Rock was picked ahead of Edinboro, which will be playing its first full season of conference competition after starting its program last season.

Lock Haven, which is the defending PSAC champion and Division II runner-up, was selected unanimously atop the poll. Mercyhrust finished second, followed by Gannon, Indiana (Pa.), SRU and Edinboro.

West Chester was picked atop the Eastern division poll with five first-place votes. Bloomsburg earned the final vote to finish second, followed by East Stroudsburg, Shippensburg, Millersville and Kutztown.

Head coach Emily Hopkins will welcome back 12 players from last season's team that finished 5-12, including nine everyday starters. The Rock will also welcome 12 newcomers, all freshman.

Headlining the list of returning players is sophomore Amy Halls at attack. Halls shattered the SRU single-season scoring record as a freshman, posting 57 goals and nine assists to rank among the PSAC's leaders. She was named to first team All-Conference honors and was a finalist for the PSAC Rookie of the Year honor. Halls capped her year by earning Division II All-Rookie honors from womenslacrosse.com.

Also returning this season is junior Brianne Dishong on defense. Dishong led The Rock defense and ranked among the leaders in the PSAC in defensive statistics. She finished the 2009 season with team-highs of 42 ground balls and 26 caused turnovers, while adding three assists and three draw controls.

Halls and Dishong are the first players to be named to the All-Conference team since lacrosse was reinstated as a varsity sport at Slippery Rock in 2007.

The Rock returns its top six scorers from last season, including sophomore midfielder Casey Quinn. Quinn had a breakout season, posting the sixth-highest goal total in SRU history with 34 goals. She added five assists and was second on the team in draw controls with 33.

Katie Roof was third on the team in scoring last season, posting 21 goals and nine assists for 30 points. The sophomore midfielder also led team in draw controls with 51 and was second on the team in ground balls with 41.

Emma VanDenburg finished fourth on the team in scoring last season, netting seven goals and handing out a team-high 15 assists for 22 points. The sophomore midfielder also caused 25 turnovers and picked up 35 ground balls.

Alexis Slutsky finished fifth in scoring with 13 goals and seven assists for 20 points. Samantha Eddy was sixth in scoring with 11 goals and five assists, while also picking up 28 ground balls and causing 22 turnovers.

Along with the bulk of last season's offensive production, Slippery Rock will return its goaltender in senior Ashley Winkelspecht. Winkelspecht is the PSAC single-season record holder in saves with 270 during the 2007 season. She ranks sixth in PSAC history in career saves and can move into second with 175 saves this season. She picked up all five of The Rock's wins last season.

Hopkins will welcome 12 newcomers to the program this season, including a balance of five players at attack, two at midfield and five on defense.

The freshmen looking to join Halls up front this season include Hannah Bonfiglio, Lauren Carberry, Ariel Knox, Dakota McCoy and Brianna Saputo. Carberry was a first team all-conference selection at Palmyra High School, while McCoy was named her team's MVP. Knox brings all-region honors to the table, along with the experience of playing on the fourth-ranked high school team in Ohio.

Kelsey Everhart, and Jami Meirick will join Quinn and Roof at the midfield this season.

Joining Dishong on defense this season will be Caitlin Cross, Victoria Giegucz, Diana Krotec, Candice Mack and Cassidy Schemm. Krotec was the defensive MVP at Shaler Area, while Schemm was a member of the three-time WPIAL champion team at Peters Township High School.

The 2010 season kicks off March 11 in Spartanburg, S.C. at Converse College. SRU will then travel to Erskine College in Due West, S.C. to wrap up its spring break trip March 13.

The first home game of the season is scheduled for March 17, when Indiana comes to town to open the PSAC-West schedule.

The Rock will play eight home games this season, capping the year at home against Gannon April 24. Three of the PSAC-West schools were ranked in the Division II preseason poll, including Lock Haven (2), Mercyhurst (5) and Gannon (10).

2010 PSAC Preseason Lacrosse Poll
(First-place votes in parenthesis)

West
1. Lock Haven (6)
2. Mercyhurst
3. Gannon
4. Indiana
5. Slippery Rock
6. Edinboro

East
1. West Chester (5)
2. Bloomsburg (1)
3. East Stroudsburg
4. Shippensburg
5. Millersville
6. Kutztown