Laxers Arnold, Olson, Sward Named First-Team All-NCAC

Ashley Arnold

Megan Sward

Three College of Wooster women’s lacrosse players were awarded with first-team honors on the All-North Coast Athletic Conference Team, announced the league office on Friday, while three other members were also picked for NCAC accolades. Midfielder Ashley Arnold (Columbus, Ohio / Thomas Worthington) and attacker Megan Sward (Sewickley, Pa. / Sewickley Academy) led the way for the Fighting Scots as repeat selections on the first team, while defender Pamela Olson (Powell, Ohio / Olentangy) was one of just two freshmen across the conference so recognized.

Seniors Kelley Hubbell (Vienna, Va. / James Madison) and Mary Risley (Northampton, Mass. / East Longmeadow) were named to the All-NCAC Second Team, while rounding out Wooster’s picks was Helena Iaquinta (Nashua, N.H. / Nashua), who received honorable mention.

Arnold, a senior, used her superior quickness to create scoring opportunities for herself and teammates, finishing 2005 with a squad-high 35 goals and nine assists for 44 points. Her 3.38 points-per-game ranked fifth in the league’s scoring race, while she also tallied 18 groundballs, which tied for fifth on the team, as well as eight caused turnovers and six draw controls. Arnold, who finishes her career as a 100-point scorer (112) in 63 games, had three five-goal games this spring, with one coming in the NCAC Tournament semis.

Sward, the 2004 NCAC Player of the Year, was Wooster’s leading scorer again with 49 points coming on 26 goals and 23 assists. She was the conference’s second-leading scorer at 3.77 points-per-game and totaled the most draw controls on the team with 34, to go with 20 groundballs and 16 caused turnovers. Sward will enter her senior season already as the eighth-leading scorer in team history with 158 points.

Pamela Olson

Olson was the anchor of a Scot defense, which averaged 7.85 goals allowed – the second-lowest in the NCAC – on just 20.1 shots per game. She caused nine turnovers and picked up 13 groundballs, while staring the final nine games of the regular season. Offensively, Olson scored one goal on six shots.

Hubbell, a low-defender, was a key component once again in the Scots’ backfield. In fact, she finished up with team highs in both groundballs and caused turnovers with 27 and 17, respectively. Hubbell, an All-American with Wooster’s field hockey program last fall, never played lacrosse until coming to Wooster, but developed into a two-year starter.

Risley’s All-NCAC distinction marked the first of her career. She tied for sixth on the team in scoring with 14 points, all coming via goals, and ranked second among the Scots in draw controls (29) and fourth in caused turnovers (10). The three-year starter at center mid closed her career with 49 points during 55 games played.

Iaquinta, a junior attacker, exploded for a career-high 38 points during 2005. A very accurate shooter, she scored on 32 of 54 attempts on goal for a team-leading .593 shooting percentage. Iaquinta also recorded eight caused turnovers, seven groundballs, and two draw controls, and she only needs 14 points next spring to reach the 100 milestone.

Wooster closed the 2005 campaign with a 9-4 overall record and in third-place in the NCAC.