ERIE, Pa. - Four Lady Knights have been named to the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) Academic squad released Thursday afternoon. The four selections were the fourth-highest total among NCAA Division II programs.
Colleen Dixon (Lafayette, N.Y./Lafayette),
Heidi Lott (Painted Post, N.Y./Corning West),
Molly Meagher (Liverpool, N.Y./Liverpool), and
Kayla Nelson (Oswego, N.Y./Oswego) earned IWLCA Academic honors. To be considered, a student-athlete must be a junior or senior, have a grade-point average of 3.5 or better, and were in the top 10 percent of their squad.
Dixon was also named to the
ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District II Women’s At-Large third team last May. The senior Communication Arts major posted 54 goals and 28 assists in 2009. Her 82 points equaled the 10th-highest single-season total in school history.
The Lafayette, N.Y., native was second among Pennsylvania State Athletic Conference (PSAC) players in points per match (5.12), fourth in assists per match (1.75), and fifth in goals per match (3.38). Dixon ranked 15th nationally in points, 18th in assists per match, 22nd in goals per match, and 28th in ground balls per match (2.94). She finished sixth all-time at Gannon in goals (160), ninth in points (213), and 11th in assists (53).
Lott and Meagher combined to help form one of the nation’s top defenses. The seniors led a team that ranked ninth nationally in scoring defense (9.44), 10th in ground balls per match (23.94), and 14th in caused turnovers per match (10.75). Lott, an Elementary Education/Special Education major, also ranked 44th among NCAA Division II players in ground balls per match (2.69). Meagher, also an Elementary Education/Special Education major, was 38th nationally in ground balls per match (2.81).
Nelson led the PSAC and ranked second among NCAA Division II players in assists per match (3.63). The junior Marketing/Management major also ranked second nationally in total assists (58) and 36th in total points (66).
Head coach Alicia Groveston’s squad concluded its first season in the PSAC with a 12-4 overall record and 5-3 conference mark. The program has reached double digits in victories five consecutive seasons and has never recorded a losing season in its 14-year history.
Gannon was ranked eighth in the final IWLCA Top 10 poll and narrowly missed PSAC and NCAA tournament berths after an overtime loss at Lock Haven in the regular-season finale.
Academically, Gannon posted the second-highest team grade-point average in the country. In addition, 10 Lady Knights were named PSAC Scholar-Athletes during their first season in the league. The team produced a combined 3.34 team GPA during the 2009 spring semester. It was part of an amazing semester in which all nine women’s athletic teams at Gannon recorded a team GPA of 3.31 or better.