Central Islip, N.Y. - Five student-athletes have earned East Coast Conference major awards to headline the 2015 women's lacrosse All-Conference awards. Dowling senior Jackie Andersen (Shirley, N.Y.) has earned the Offensive Player of the Year while Emily Hanifan (Hicksville, N.Y.) of LIU Post and Courtney McGrath (Nanuet, N.Y.) of St. Thomas Aquinas share the Defensive Player of the Year honor. Roberts Wesleyan's Shannon Knapp (Lafayette, N.Y.) and Molloy's Jessica Markowitz (Baldwin, N.Y.) round out the top honorees, earning Goalkeeper of the Year and Rookie of the Year, respectively.
Andersen wraps up a decorated career with her fourth straight All-Conference First Team selection and the second ECC major award after winning the Rookie of the Year her freshman season. Going into the ECC Championship play, Andersen ranked second in the conference with 56 goals, fourth with 31 assists, and first in the league with 87 points. That brings her career point total to 373, which ranks seventh all-time in Division II. With Dowling earning a spot in the ECC Championship, Andersen needs just eight points to move up to third all-time.
For the second straight season, there was a tie in the Defensive Player of the Year voting, with Hanifan and McGrath sharing the honor this year. Hanifan helped the Pioneers post the fifth lowest scoring defense in the nation with only 5.59 goals allowed per game by scooping up 27 ground balls and ranking 12th in the conference with 16 caused turnovers
McGrath helped the Lady Spartans to a second straight appearance in the ECC Championship with outstanding defense from the midfield position. Her 36 ground balls and 19 caused turnovers were both good for fifth in the conference.
Knapp earns the Goalkeeper of the Year honor after accumulating an 8-6 record between the pipes for the Redhawks. Knapp led the ECC with 145 saves on the season. She ranked second in the conference and sixth in Division II with a .511 save percentage, as well.
Bridgeport's Kate Smullen has been voted the Coach of the Year by her peers. Coming into the season, the Purple Knights had 12 wins over the first four seasons in program history. Under Smullen's guidance, Bridgeport doubled that total this season, finishing with a 12-4 record and narrowly missed out on an ECC Championship berth.
2015 ECC Women’s Lacrosse All-Conference Team
First Team
A: Jackie Andersen, Dowling
A: Emily Delaney, LIU Post
A: Loren Dunn, Roberts Wesleyan
A: Meghan Orlando, Molloy
A: Gabrielle Valela, Bridgeport
M: Kelli Kucinski, St. Thomas Aquinas
M: Allie Merril, Dowling
M: Courtney McGrath, St. Thomas Aquinas
M: Jenna Pierro, LIU Post
M: Cooper Sesselman, Molloy
D: Chelsea Bauer, Molloy
D: Melissa DellaRocca, Mercy
D: Melissa Guglielmo, Dowling
D: Emily Hanifan, LIU Post
D: Kali Maxwell, LIU Post
GK: Shannon Knapp, Roberts Wesleyan
Second Team
A: Nicole Augustine, Mercy
A: Connor Bird, LIU Post
A: Cassley Jackowski, Roberts Wesleyan
A: Samantha Lowney, St. Thomas Aquinas
A: Jessica Markowitz, Molloy
A: Katie Meinecke, Dowling
A: Stefani Vagelatos, LIU Post
M: Ali Fox, Roberts Wesleyan
M: Taylor Martello, Queens
M: Lauren Mengel, Bridgeport
M: Katie O'Brien, Molloy
D: Alyson Brennan, St. Thomas Aquinas
D: Hope Coticchio, Mercy
D: Christina Hart, Roberts Wesleyan
D: Rosa Prestano, St. Thomas Aquinas
D: Brittany Smith, LIU Post
GK: Olivia Kirk, LIU Post
Offensive Player of the Year: Jackie Andersen, Sr., A, Dowling
Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Emily Hanifan, Sr., D, LIU Post
Co-Defensive Player of the Year: Courtney McGrath, Gr., M, St. Thomas Aquinas
Goalkeeper of the Year: Shannon Knapp, So., Roberts Wesleyan
Rookie of the Year: Jessica Markowitz, Fr., A, Molloy
Coach of the Year: Kate Smullen, Bridgeport
