Sheila McKevitt '03

Jessica Kulesa '04

Neely Wakeman '03

November 11, 2002

GENEVA, N.Y.—The Eastern College Athletic Conference has selected William Smith College as the top seed in the 2002 ECAC Mid-Atlantic Region Championship Tournament. The Herons will face Rensselaer in the quarterfinal round at 5 p.m., on Nov. 13. The game will be played at the Colleges’ AstroTurf Stadium. Admission is free.

William Smith, ranked 10th in the latest NFHCA coaches poll, finished the regular season with a 13-5 record, placing second in the Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association with a 5-2 mark. The Herons advanced to the UCAA Tournament Championship game with a 2-1 win over St. Lawrence, but fell to sixth-ranked Skidmore in the title tilt, 3-2.

Offensively, seniors Sheila McKevitt (Clinton/Clinton, N.Y.) and Neely Wakeman (Holderness School/Cohasset, Mass.) have paced William Smith this season. The UCAA Player of the Year, McKevitt is one of only nine Herons to record 100 career points and boasts 32 points (13-6) this season, while Wakeman has produced 11 goals and 10 assists this year, after recording just four goals in the previous three seasons combined.

In goal, junior Jessica Kulesa (Garden City/Garden City, N.Y.) sports a 14-6 record, including five shutouts. She has made 90 saves and has a 1.28 goals against average.

Rensselaer is led by junior Sondra Butler’s 10 goals and five assists. Senior goalie Cathy Hotchkiss has turned back 107 shots and has a 2.62 goals against average.

The two UCAA foes met earlier this season on Sept. 27. The Red Hawks topped the Herons 3-1 in Troy, behind a pair of Butler goals.

William Smith is making its 16th consecutive appearance in the postseason (14 NCAA, 2 ECAC). The Herons last participated in the ECAC Tournament in 1999, winning the Mid-Atlantic Championship.

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