Women’s Lacrosse Season Wrap Up – Ohio State Buckeyes
5/11/2000 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
May 11, 2000
COLUMBUS, Ohio— The Ohio State women’s lacrosse team finished its 2000 campaign with a 9-7 record, the second straight winning record in the five-year history of the program.
Season Highs
The Buckeyes once again posted 20 or more goals in three games, including a season-high 22 against Ohio University. The team also posted 17 assists against Regis. This season the Buckeyes were led by a balanced attack. Celeste Cianfrani (Jr., Telford, Pa./Souderton) and Shannon Wilson (Fr., Crystal Beach, Ont./Lakeshore Catholic) ended the season with 47 and 45 points, respectively. The Buckeyes also had five players with more than 20 goals for the first time in the history of the program.
Head Coach Sue Stimmel
Sue Stimmel wrapped up her fifth season as head lacrosse coach at Ohio State. She has guided the Buckeyes to two straight winning seasons. During her five years at OSU, Stimmel has compiled a 36-33 record. 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.
Buckeyes Against the Toughest Schedule
The 2000 Buckeyes played the most regular season games in the program’s history–16. The Buckeyes also faced the toughest schedule in the program’s five-year history. The Scarlet and Gray faced six opponents ranked in the Top 20. Ohio State posted an 0-6 record against those opponents, but had close games with Vanderbilt and Boston University.
Injuries the Storyof this Season
Injuries and illness have took over the Ohio State women’s lacrosse team. Five starters have fell victim to either season-ending injuries or serious illness. Both Megan Mirick (So., Burke, Va./Robinson) and Erin Andersen (Jr., Huntington, N.Y./Huntington) suffered torn Anterior Cruciate Ligaments and missed the remainder of the season. Andersen tore her ACL during the first half of the Boston game (3/19). She played in one game too many to earn a medical redshirt. Mirick tore her ACL in the second half of the Delaware game (3/31). She also will not be granted a medical redshirt. Defender Kim Lowe (Fr., Philadelphia, Pa./Episocopal) missed the games against Delaware and Penn State due to a concussion she suffered earlier in the week. She started and played all 60 minutes against Davidson (4/8). Defender Trisha Miller (So., Chadds Ford, Pa./Unionville) and goalie Megan Barnett (So., Charlottesville, Va./Albemarle) both fell ill to stomach viruses. Miller played in the Delaware and Penn State (4/1) games with a fever and was still weak for the Davidson game. Barnett was treated for dehydration after the Penn State game. She practiced only once before the game against Davidson.
Cianfrani in Second For Now
Celeste Cianfrani ranks second all-time in career goals in Ohio State women’s lacrosse history. She has scored 81 goals, only three shy of the record set by Mara Simpson from 1996-1999. She also is second behind Simpson in career points. Cianfrani has recorded 124 points in her career and needs only 10 more to tie the current record.
Barnett Building a Lead
Megan Barnett now ranks first in career saves with 290. She passed Nicole Morris who finished with 174 saves in 1997. Barnett still has two years of eligibility remaining.
Changes in the Record Book
The Ohio State women’s record book was once again rewritten. The Buckeyes tied or set 12 new team and individual records. Shannon Wilson tied the record for goals in a game with six against Denver. Megan Barnett recorded 19 saves twice during the 2000 season, tying Sheila Rupp for the No. 2 spot for saves in a game. Barnett also set the low for goals against in a game with zero against Bucknell. Megan Mirick set a new record for consecutive multiple-goal games with eight. Celeste Cianfrani moved up in four categories. She set a new season record for assists with 22. She also ranks third in career assists with 43. As mentioned before she is now second in career goals and career points. As a team the Buckeyes tied two records and broke another. The 22 goals scored against Ohio University ties for third most goals in a game. The Buckeyes also tied their longest winning streak of three games with wins over Notre Dame, Regis and Denver. Ohio State broke last season’s goal total of 197 by eight goals, scoring 205 this season.
Buckeyes Outscoring the Opponents
The 2000 Buckeyes outscored their opponents, 205-147. The Buckeyes came alive in the first half, outscoring opponents, 115-72.
Young, But Experienced
The Buckeyes returned only four seniors for the 2000 campaign. However, underclassmen dominated the attack. Six of the top seven scorers from this season were either freshmen or sophomores. Freshman Shannon Wilson led all underclassmen with 29 goals and 16 assists.
Buckeyes in the NCAA Rankings
No Buckeyes were ranked in the individual NCAA statistics for the week of May 8. The Buckeyes as a team were ranked in two of the team statistics categories. They were No. 12 in scoring offense, having scored 205 goals, an average of 12.81 a game. The Buckeyes were No. 20 in scoring margin, outscoring their opponents by 3.63 goals.
