Women’s Lacrosse Travels to Virginia Tech – Ohio State Buckeyes
3/9/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
March 9, 2000
COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State women’s lacrosse team prepares for its first road game of the season, challenging Virginia Tech Friday in Lewisburg, Va. The Buckeyes will return home to take on Bucknell, Sunday
Last Weekend
Attackers Erin Andersen, Celeste Cianfrani and Shannon Wilson, and midfielder Trish Derwart each scored three goals, leading Ohio State over the Gannon Lady Knights. Cianfrani led all scorers with six points, three goals and three assists. OSU goalie Megan Barnett played all 60 minutes and recorded six saves.
Head Coach Sue Stimmel
Sue Stimmel is entering her fifth season as head lacrosse coach at Ohio State. Last season Stimmel led OSU to a stellar 10-5 finish, marking the first 10-win season in the history of Ohio State women’s lacrosse. With a 23-3 win over the Ohio Bobcats April 10, 1999, Stimmel earned her 100th career victory.
Scouting Virginia Tech
Virginia Tech opened its season with a 17-6 loss against No. 2 Duke. The Hokies were led by senior Dawn Will’s four goals. Tech also had offensive production from Lisa Tsimbidis and Sam Sybert who each recorded one goal. In the cage, the Hokies are led by junior Stacey Rainbolt. She played all 60 minutes and recorded 15 saves in the loss to Duke.
Tech Coach Brooke Martin
Brooke Martin led the Hokies to an 11-6 record last season. She guided the team to the inaugural Atlantic 10 Championship. Martin was named Atlantic 10 Coach of the Year for her efforts. Martin is a 1996 graduate of Va. Tech.
The Series
Virginia Tech and Ohio State have met on the lacrosse field four times. The Hokies have come out victorious in all of those meetings, including a 9-8 win in Columbus last season.
Scouting Bucknell
The Bucknell Bison are under the direction of fourth-year head coach Barb Jordan. Last season the Bison compiled a record of 5-8.
Bucknell Coach Barb Jordan
In four years Barb Jordan has compiled an overall record of 28-16. Last season three of her players earned first-team all-Patriot League honors. A three-time All-American as a player at Penn State, Jordan was a member of the U.S. National Team from 1982-1989. She was a starter on the 1986 World Cup Team that won a silver medal. In addition, she served as team captain for the U.S. Under-23 Team whose itinerary included a 1987 tour of England, Scotland, and Wales. The Series
Ohio State and Bucknell have met on the lacrosse field once. Ohio State won that meeting 12-3 last season in Lewisburg.
Largest, Toughest Schedule
Ohio State will play the most regular season games in the program’s history–16. The Buckeyes also will face the toughest schedule in the program’s five-year history. The Scarlet and Gray will face six opponents that were ranked in the final IWLCA poll last season. The Buckeyes’ schedule includes games against No. 3 Penn State, No. 9 North Carolina, No. 15 Syracuse, No. 17 Boston University, No. 20 Virginia Tech and Division II power Gannon. The Buckeyes will have the difficult task of playing their last four games on the road, including games at North Carolina, Vanderbilt and Syracuse.
Young, But Experienced
The Buckeyes return only four seniors for the 2000 season. However, they do return 10 starters who are sophomores or juniors. “We are a young team,” Stimmel said. “But we had the opportunity to play and even start many of our freshmen last year.”
More on Sue Stimmel
Sue Stimmel is entering her fifth season as head women’s lacrosse coach at Ohio State. She has compiled a 27-26 mark at OSU, the only head coach in the brief history of the varsity women’s lacrosse program. Stimmel came to Ohio State from Denison University where she guided the Big Red to a 76-24 record during her career. She took over the Big Red program in 1989 and was named the IWLCA Regional Coach of the Year in 1991, 1992 and 1994. Stimmel was honored as the NCAC Coach of the Year in 1990, 1992 and 1993. Denison won five NCAC championships and made four appearances in the NCAA tournament during Stimmel’s tenure. She also coached the North Team in the Division III North/South All-Star Game in 1995. Her coaching career began in 1984 when she was named an assistant coach at the University of Massachusetts, where she stayed until 1986. Stimmel is a 1984 graduate of Temple University, where she received a degree in mathematics. She was a four-year varsity starter and a member of Temple’s national championship teams in 1982 and 1984. She was named a Regional All-American in 1984 and was invited to the U.S. team tryouts.
Looking Back at 1999
The Ohio State women’s lacrosse team finished the 1999 season with the program’s best record, 10-5. The Buckeyes were led by a powerful attack of underclassmen. Freshman Megan Mirick led the team in goals with 39. Sophomore Erin Andersen finished a close second with 36 goals. Andersen also led the team in total points with 53. Sophomore Celeste Cianfrani also contributed to the offense with 47 total points, 32 goals and 15 assists. Megan Barnett had an amazing freshman campaign in goal. She recorded 154 saves. Her goals-against average of 9.00 was good enough for a No. 23 NCAA ranking. The Buckeyes as a team were ranked seventh in scoring, averaging 13.13 goals per game. The Scarlet and Gray ranked 12th in scoring margin, averaging 4.07 more goals per game than their opponents. Ohio State also was ranked 25th in scoring defense, allowing only 9.07 goals per game. The 1999 season was marked by milestones. On April 10, against Ohio University, head coach Sue Stimmel earned her 100th career victory. Postseason awards were earned for the first time in program history. Miranda James was named a Mid-Atlantic Regional second-team All-American for her defensive efforts. Throughout the season the Buckeyes broke 11 team and individual records.
