Trinity Women's Lacrosse Opens 2011 Season Ranked Among Nation's Best Teams
Hartford, Conn., Mar. 10, 2011 –The Trinity College women's lacrosse team, which finished with a 15-4 record and advanced to the NCAA Quarterfinals last spring, is ranked No. 7 nationally in the Lacrosse Magazine Division III Pre-Season Poll and No. 6 in the current Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Division III Poll. The Bantams, under 2007 and 2010 New England Small College Athletic Conference (NESCAC) Coach of the Year Kate Livesay (5th Season), open the season at home against league rival Connecticut College on Saturday, March 13 at noon. Trinity finished atop the 2010 NESCAC regular-season standings for the first time and won two games in the NCAA Tournament for the first time last spring, and looks to build on those milestones as it competes for its first league title and another deep advance into the NCAA Championship.
Trinity loses six and returns six starters from last season, including senior and two-time All-Americans Rachel Romanowsky (Hampstead, N.H.) and junior Liz Bruno (Andover, Mass.), giving the Bantams two of the most dynamic offensive players and game-changing defensive players in the nation. Romanowsky, a senior co-captain attacker, has 116 goals and 59 assists in her career and returns healthy from a leg injury that caused her to miss several games last spring. Bruno has dominated as a defensive midfielder for two years, while consistently increasing her offensive output each season. She had team-highs of 53 ground balls and 51 caused turnovers to go with 15 goals a year ago, and should add even more to the offense this season. Senior Alisen Urquhart (Redding, Conn.) is the other Bantam captain and a returning starter in the midfield who tallied 17 goals and 10 assists in 2010.
Senior Emma Lynch (Washington, D.C.) and junior Elizabeth Beckler (Potomac, Md.), who was second to Bruno on the squad with 24 caused turnovers in 2010, return as starters on the defensive end, anchoring the unit in front of Trinity's three solid goalies. Juniors Gina Dinallo (West Hartford, Conn.) and Stephanie Fisher (Brunswick, Maine) have each enjoyed solid collegiate careers while battling each other for playing time, and that situation continues with much-improved sophomore Olivia Whitney (Danvers, Mass.) putting herself into the mix with an excellent pre-season. Dinallo had 64 saves and a 7.81 GAA and Fisher was 7-1 with 37 saves and a 7.02 GAA. Senior defender Kayla Lawson (North Andover, Mass.) also has post-season and starting experience, while sophomore Mallory Hinman (Longmeadow, Mass.) played in 16 games as a rookie defensively. First-years Kaitlin Reedy (Ipswich, Mass.) and Lyndsey Shepard (Hamilton, Mass.) are expected to contribute immediately both in the defensive end and in the midfield.
Several underclassmen earned valuable NCAA experience and enjoyed productive seasons in their roles last spring, and will be counted on heavily to step in as regulars this year. Sophomore attackers Kaitlin Hildebrand (Berwyn, Pa.), Hadley Duncan (Rye, N.Y.), and Haley Thompson (Ipswich, Mass.) will all see increased minutes in 2010, after combining for 31 goals and four assists in 2009, while sophomore midfielder Megan Leonhard (Summit, N.J.) was a womenslacrosse.com National All-Rookie selection last spring. Leonhard played in all 19 games as a rookie and finished second on the team with 32 goals and added three assists, 36 ground balls, and 25 draw controls. First-year Shea Kusiak (Longmeadow, Mass.) will also be an offensive factor this season at attack.