Tribe Lax Earns CAA Coach of Year/Rookie of Year Honors

W&M Places Four to All-Conference Honors; Three on All-Rookie Squad

05/01/08 8:00PM

Williamsburg - William and Mary Head Coach Christine Halfpenny and midfielder Grace Golden (Manhassset, N.Y.) were named as the Colonial Athletics Association’s Coach and Rookie of the Year, respectively, on Thursday evening during the CAA’s women’s lacrosse awards banquet held on the College’s campus.

Halfpenny authored one of the nation’s most remarkable turnarounds, as she guided the Tribe back from a 2-6 start to a 9-8 final record, a No. 20 national ranking and, most importantly, the right to host the league’s championship as the No. 1 seed. Halfpenny’s accomplishments in 2008 are made even more impressive when considering the squad finished 2007 (her first season with the program) with a 3-13 record and a 1-6 mark in league play. She will be just the second Tribe lacrosse mentor to earn the league’s top honor, joining Tribe legend and Hall of Famer, Feffie Barnhill, who received the award after the 1998 season.

Perhaps, adding even further to Halfpenny’s achievements is the fact that she is leading a squad that numbers as many as six freshmen in its starting line-up. But, with that being said, if you are going to be starting freshman, it helps when the newcomers are among the finest in the league. The talented group is led by Golden, who's speed and outstanding stick handling earned her the league’s Rookie of the Year honor. Her stat line reads like an all-American’s resume, as she has tallied 50 points (42 goals, eight assists), 41 ground balls, 39 draws and 18 caused turnovers. Entering Friday’s action, she leads the Tribe in ground balls and is tied for the lead in caused turnovers. Golden is second in goals, assists, points, draws and game-winning goals (three). She joins former Tribe great Meghan Schneider (1999) as the only other W&M player to earn the league’s Rookie of the Year honor since it was first awarded after the 1994 season. Golden is just four goals away from breaking Pixie Hamilton’s school freshman goal record (45 set in the 1977 season).

Additionally, the Tribe placed four players on the league’s two All-CAA squads. Golden joined fellow all-American candidate, senior midfielder Jaime Sellers (Kennebunk, Maine) on the first team, while senior defender Ashley Bolton (Narbeth, Pa.) and freshman net minder Emily Geary (Wayne, Pa.) were named to second team accolades.

Sellers was one of the league’s most dominant players, as she finished the regular season as the CAA’s leading goal scorer (60). She also finished the year with the league’s top figure in game-winning scores (five) and was second in total points (65) and third in draws (41). Sellers will come into the weekend having scored at least one goal in all of the Tribe’s 17 games and has recorded three or more in 14 contests. Her current season total ranks third, all-time, on the Tribe’s single-season scoring listing, as she trails Pixie Hamilton’s 64 goal-effort set during the 1978 season. The four-goal effort pushed her career goal total to 112, which places her in a tie for ninth-place with former Tribe great Danielle Gallagher (1986-89).

Bolton and Geary were the glue to what has been an outstanding Tribe defense this season. Bolton was the senior leader of a young line defense for the College. She draws the opponent’s top scoring threat in every outing and ended the regu-lar season with 15 caused turnovers and 16 ground balls. She also has contributed a pair of assists on the year. Geary has been nothing short of sensational in her first season in the cage for the College, as she finished the regular season as the league’s leader in saves per contest (9.88) and was second in save percentage (.487). She ended the year with a 11.50 goals against average, but she allowed 10, or less, in seven of the team’s final 10 games. Geary has made the spectacular look routine, especially late in close contests, as she has delivered crucial saves in the waning minutes of multiple league wins for the College.

Geary and Golden were also tabbed for the league’s All-Rookie honors and were joined on the list by attacker Ashley Holofcener (Reisterstown, Md.). Holofcener has been one of the team’s key playmakers up front, as she leads the team with 17 assists and has recorded 22 goals. Her 58 total points trails only Sellers and Golden on the roster, while she ranks third in ground balls (30) and caused turnovers (16).

The Tribe will look to begin its quest to earn the school’s first league title since 1992 with its semi-final game against the University of Delaware (11-5, 4-3 in CAA). The game will be played at Albert/Daly Field and will start at 5:00 pm.

Complete CAA Awards (PDF)