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Tribe Announces Annual Awards
Gina Cimarelli and Julienne Palbusa named W&M’s MVPs.
05/17/07 11:30AM
Williamsburg - The William and Mary field hockey program presented its annual awards, and a pair of Tribe student-athletes received prestigious honors from the W&M Athletic Department as well. Junior Jes Kacerek received the Martha Barksdale award, while senior Maggie Long was honored with the President’s Award. Senior Gina Cimarelli received the Tribe’s Offensive MVP accolade, and fellow classmate Julienne Palbusa was the College’s Defensive MVP. Redshirt freshman Kaitlin Johnson received the Tribe’s Most Improved Player award. Seniors Becky Van Zee and Jamie Fitzgerald shared the Unsung Hero honor.
Kacerek started all 19 matches for the Tribe in the midfield, finishing with three points on a goal and an assist. The Martha Barksdale Awards is presented to a rising senior, female student-athlete who has a GPA of 3.25 or higher and is an outstanding student and an outstanding athlete. Long ranked second on the team in goals with seven and finished with 15 points during her senior campaign. The President’s Award recognizes an individual from each sport that best represents good sportsmanship, citizenship and leadership.
Cimarelli earned First-Team All-CAA honors, while garnering Second-Team NFHCA All-Region and VaSID All-State accolades. She led the Tribe in scoring with 21 points on seven goals and seven assists. Cimarelli also scored four game-winners during her senior campaign on her way to the Tribe MVP award.
After fighting injuries for much of her W&M career, Palbusa turned in an impressive senior season with the Tribe to earn MVP laurels. She helped anchor a Tribe defense that posted five shutouts on the season. Palbusa started all 19 games on the backline, finishing with one defensive save.
Johnson was a force in the defensive half for the Tribe during her redshirt freshman campaign, earning most improved honors. She started 18 of 19 games and led the College with three defensive saves. Her defensive saves total ranked fourth in the CAA.
Van Zee and Fitzgerald both started all 19 matches for the College during their final campaigns, while garnering the Unsung Hero distinction. Van Zee finished with 12 points on four goals and four assists. She tallied the game-winner in the Tribe’s 1-0 win over No. 18 Hofstra on Oct. 20. Fitzgerald was solid on the backline for the Tribe and finished with an assist on the year.
W&M head coach Peel Hawthorne also announced the Tribe’s tri-captains for the 2007 season. The senior trio of Gwen Hunter, Jes Kacerek and Laura Kastelic will lead the Tribe next season.
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