RC's Valles Top Rookie, HU's Frost Named Scholar-Athlete

SALEM, Va. --- Washington and Lee added a couple top individual awards to their sixth straight ODAC Women's Lacrosse Championship with Kat Michaels being named Player of the Year and Brooke Diamond receiving Coach of Year honors.

Roanoke College's Gina Valles was named Rookie of the Year while Hollins University's Emily Frost was voted by the conference sports information directors as the ODAC/Farm Bureau Scholar-Athlete of the Year.  The Generals also added the Team Sportsmanship Award to their post-season honors.

Michaels, a senior from Virginia Beach, Virginia, led the Generals to a 17-2 overall record and an untarnished 8-0 mark in ODAC play.  Washington and Lee entered the tournament as the top seed and made its way to a 13-4 win over Roanoke in the championship game.  Michaels spearheaded a Washington and Lee defense that boasted the lowest goals against average (5.96) in the conference.  Michaels led the Generals this season in caused turnovers (21), was second in groundballs (35) and fourth on the team in draw controls (23).  This is the second straight year that Michaels has occupied a spot on the All-ODAC First Team.

Valles, a sophomore from South Windsor, Connecticut, helped lead Roanoke to a 10-8 overall record, 6-2 in the ODAC.  The Maroons made their way to the ODAC Championship game where they fell 13-4 to Washington and Lee.  Valles sat at or near the top in several conference-wide statistical categories all season including goals per game (1^st), points per game (2^nd) and shots per game (2^nd).  This season, Valles had 54 goals and 13 assists for the Maroons and was named ODAC Player of the Week twice.

Diamond collected her top coaching honor in just her first year as mentor of the Generals.  She guided the team to a 17-2 overall record, 8-0 in conference play.  Those 17 victories posted a new Washington and Lee women's lacrosse record for wins in a season, besting the previous record of 16 in 2006.  Diamond hopes to add to that mark as the Generals continue their season for at least one more game as the ODAC's recipient of an automatic bid into the NCAA Division III tournament's first round.

Hollins' Frost, a senior from Falls Church, Virginia, boasts a 4.0 grade point averaging while majoring in biology with minors in math and chemistry.  On the field, she has been a two-year starter on defense for the Hollins lacrosse squad.  Frost is a four-sport athlete at Hollins, competing in either soccer or cross country in the fall and basketball in the winter.

Below is the entire list of the 2008 ODAC Women's Lacrosse All-Conference teams.  For more information, visit the ODAC on the Internet at www.odaconline.com.

2008 Women's Lacrosse All-ODAC Teams 

Player of the Year: Kat Michaels, Washington and Lee
Coach of the Year: Brooke Diamond, Washington and Lee
Rookie of the Year: Gina Valles, Roanoke
ODAC/Farm Bureau Scholar-Athlete: Emily Frost, Hollins
Team Sportsmanship Award: Washington and Lee 

All-ODAC First Team
Attack
Britten Mathews, Washington and Lee
Laura Norris, Virginia Wesleyan
Kelsi Robinson, Washington and Lee

Midfield
Jillian Boyd, Virginia Wesleyan
Colleen Evans, Washington and Lee
Mary Hutchins, Guilford
Lacy Phelps, Randolph-Macon
Gina Valles, Roanoke

Defense
Alida Haslett, Roanoke
Kat Michaels, Washington and Lee
Logan Pomeroy, Randolph-Macon

Goalkeeper
Sarah Tilbor, Washington and Lee 

All-ODAC Second Team
Attack
Erin Clare Cassidy, Randolph-Macon
Jordan Clodfelter, Guilford
Deanna Welsch, Lynchburg

Midfield
Lindsay Gengras, Lynchburg
Morgan Hutchinson, Randolph-Macon
Paige Mason, Roanoke
Megan Slosson, Washington and Lee
Aimee Sraver, Virginia Wesleyan

Defense
Jenn Abelin, Guilford
Carolyn Clark, Roanoke
Suzie Mace, Virginia Wesleyan

Goalkeeper
Katlyn Scarlett, Roanoke 

All-ODAC Honorable Mention
Attack
Bethany Adomanis, Virginia Wesleyan
Amanda Hutchins, Roanoke
Nichole Locher, Lynchburg

Midfield
Caitlin DiMondi, Hollins
Ellie Donahue, Sweet Briar
Carrie Ernst, Guilford
Stewart Hulfish, Sweet Briar
Shelly Nogueira, Guilford
Sarah Wade, Bridgewater

Defense
Erin Baker, Guilford
Lauren Kondor, Bridgewater

Goalkeeper
Colleen Schwind, Bridgewater