May 5, 2002

GENEVA, N.Y.—The William Smith College lacrosse team earned its 14th trip to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament in the past 16 seasons. The sixth-ranked Herons will play the 12th-ranked Rowan University Profs on May 11 at Middlebury College. Game times and ticket prices will be announced later in the week.

William Smith finished the regular season with a 13-1 record. The Herons’ lone loss was to Upstate Collegiate Athletic Association foe Union College, an 11-10 overtime decision that kept William Smith from claiming its first conference championship. The Herons did earn one of two Pool C bids awarded to teams in automatic qualifying conferences that didn’t win their conference.

“We’re pleased to be selected,” 29th-year Head Coach Pat Genovese said. “Any game at this point of the season is going to be difficult, so we’re just looking forward to traveling to Middlebury and playing Rowan.”

Last season, William Smith missed the tournament for the first time since 1990, despite a 13-2 regular season. The program, under the leadership of Genovese, has reached the NCAA semifinals 10 times, including five trips to the NCAA Championship game. Genovese has more wins (278) than any other head coach in women’s lacrosse history.

The Heron attack is led by junior Megan Shea (Mountain Lakes (NJ)/Doylestown, Pa.). The team’s leading scorer with 69 points (46-23), she is one of just six Herons to score 200 career points (134-72-206). Sophomore Gretchen Lasda (West Genesee/Camillus, N.Y.), junior Amanda Wynn (Loomis Chaffee/Aspen, Colo.), and junior Jackie Toner (Geneva/Geneva, N.Y.) have all scored more than 40 points this season for the Herons balance offense.

Defensively, the Herons’ goalie will get a trip home courtesy of the NCAA. Sophomore Rebecca Splain (Middlebury Union/Middlebury, Vt.) boasts 113 saves this season with a .574 save percentage and a meager 6.43 goals against average.

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