Women’s Lacross Opens Season Against Duquesne – Ohio State Buckeyes
2/26/2002 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
Feb. 26, 2002%^$
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%^$COLUMBUS, Ohio – The Ohio State women’s lacrosse squad opens the seventh season of the program at 1 p.m., Sunday, March 3 by hosting Duquesne in the Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium. The Buckeyes were 7-8 last season and the Dukes were 14-5.%^$
%^$A LOOK AT DUQUESNE
%^$Duquesne posted a 14-5 record last season and was 4-1 in the Atlantic-10. The Dukes season came to a close with a 10-9 double overtime loss to Temple in the Conference Championship game. Duquesne has seven starters and six additional letterwinners back for the 2002 season. All-Conference honorees Katie Harner and Kristin Harner as well as Lauren Mincher and Lauren Dutch anchor the team.%^$
%^$THE OHIO STATE – DUQUESNE SERIES
%^$Ohio State leads the series with Duquesne with a 4-1 mark. The Buckeyes won the first four meetings, dating back to 1997. OSU won at Duquesne, 18-7 in 1997. The Buckeyes won at home in 1998, 14-2 and in 1999, 13-12 at Duquesne. Ohio State won the last meeting in Columbus, 19-3 in 2000. The Dukes won the game in 2001, at Duquesne, 14-12. In last year’s game, Ohio State trailed 10-5 at halftime. OSU outscored Duquesne 7-4 in the second half but fell short. Lauren Cochran (Sr., Coatesville, Pa.) had four goals in the game for the Buckeyes.%^$
%^$A LOOK AT OHIO STATE
%^$With 16 letterwinners returning, including nine starters from last season, the Buckeyes can look to the solid experience that the upper class student-athletes will bring to the field this season. Despite a 7-8 overall record in 2001, the outlook for 2002 shows promise. Megan Mirick (Sr., Burke, Va.) produced 40 points last season on 27 goals and 13 assists. She is joined on the attack by Tracey Bounds (Jr., Ellicott City, Md.) who contributed 29 goals and six assists for 35 points last season. Trish Derwart (Sr., Ellicott City, Md.) , Trisha Miller (Sr., Chadds Ford, Pa.) and Kim Lowe (Jr., Philadelphia, Pa.) will anchor the defense. In the midfield, Lauren Coachran, Kylee Reade (Sr., London, Ontario), Alexia Vogler (Jr., Ellicott City, Md.) and Shannon Wilson (Jr., Sherkston, Ontario) provide a solid core for the Buckeyes. OSU will look to freshman Erin Forquer (Shaker Heights, Ohio) in goal. She will be backed up by Allison Blanton (Sr., Newton, N.J.) who played the last three years on the field hockey squad.%^$
%^$BUCKEYES JOIN THE AMERICAN LACROSSE CONFERENCE
%^$Ohio State has joined with six other squads to for the American Lacrosse Conference. Members include Northwestern, Johns Hopkins, Vanderbilt, Penn State, Davidson, Ohio University and Ohio State. In the first year, Ohio State will face Northwestern, John Hopkins, Vanderbilt and Ohio University on the road and host Penn State and Davidson in league contests.%^$
%^$OHIO STATE RANKED FOURTH IN ALC PRESEASON POLL
%^$By a vote of the conference coaches, Ohio State has been picked fourth in the American Lacrosse Conference Preseason Poll. The Buckeyes received 20 points. Penn State was voted first, receiving 36 points and six first place votes. John Hopkins was second with 31 points and one first place vote. Vanderbilt was third with 26 points. The remaining league members were ranked as follows: 5th Davidson (14 points), 6th Ohio University (12) and 7th Northwestern (8).%^$
%^$SCERBO AND CIANFRANI JOIN COACHING STAFF
%^$The women’s lacrosse coaching staff has two new members this season. Michael Scerbo joins the staff after spending the last five years as the head coach of Limstone College. A 1995 graduate of SUNY-Oswego with a B.A. in biology, Scerbo had a 33-24 record at Limestone College. Former Ohio State women’s lacrosse student-athlete Celeste Cianfrani joins the coaching staff after her four-year career with the Buckeyes. She graduated with a degree in communications in the Spring of 2001. Cianfrani is Ohio State’s all-time leader in career points (138) and assists (51) and is second in goals (87). She was a 2001 Mid-Atlantic Regional All-American.%^$
%^$HEAD COACH SUE STIMMEL
%^$Sue Stimmel is in her seventh year as the head coach for Ohio State. A 1984 graduate of Temple University, Stimmel is the only coach that the Buckeye program has had. She spent six years has the head coach of Denison prior to coming to Ohio State. Stimmel is 43-41 at Ohio State and is 119-59 in her career.%^$
%^$BLANTON JOINS SQUAD FROM FIELD HOCKEY
%^$After playing the last three seasons with the field hockey team, Allison Blanton (Sr., Newton, N.J.) has joined the women’s lacrosse team for the 2002 season. She helped the Buckeye field hockey team earn a share of the Big Ten Championship and won the Big Ten Tournament. An all-Big Ten selection, Blanton was the co-MVP of the Big Ten Tournament and was a West Region second team selection of the NFHCA. She joined the lacrosse team with the departure of Megan Barnett due to injury.%^$
%^$READE AND TULK GAIN INTERNATIONAL EXPERIENCE
%^$Two Ohio State student-athletes gained international experience last year as they played for Team Canada in the IFWLA 2001 World Cup in England. Kylee Reade and Amy Tulk (So., West Chester, Pa.) gained valuable experience as Team Canada finished fourth in the World Cup.%^$
%^$ACADEMIC HONORS FROM LAST SEASON
%^$A former and a current player were honored last season as Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association Division I academic selections. Former standout and now OSU assistant coach Celeste Cianfrani and Trisha Miller were two of the 184 collegiate women’s lacrosse players honored last season.%^$
%^$REGIONAL ALL-AMERICANS FROM LAST SEASON
%^$Ohio State had two student-athletes honored as Mid-Atlantic Regional All-Americans at the end of last season. Shannon Wilson (Jr., Crystal Beach, Ontario) was honored for her play in the midfield. Assistant coach Celeste Cianfrani was also honored for defense.%^$
%^$NEXT FOR THE BUCKEYES
%^$OSU will complete a three-match homestand next week. The Buckeyes will face St. Bonaventure at noon, Saturday, March 9 and complete the home stand with a 3:30 p.m. game against Monmouth Monday, March 11. OSU then goes on the road for the next six matches beginning with a 3:30 p.m., Saturday, March 16 game against Boston University that will be played at the College of New Jersey.
