April 23, 2009
Washington, D.C. - Georgetown University women's lacrosse won three of the four major awards at the BIG EAST banquet Thursday evening. Senior Bridget Noon (Annapolis, Md./St. Mary's) earned Defender of the Year, junior Ashby Kaestner (Trappe, Md./Saints Peter and Paul) was named the Co-Midfielder of the Year and Head Coach Ricky Fried notched his first BIG EAST Coach of the Year honor. Additionally, seven Hoyas earned a spot on the BIG EAST First or Second Teams.
"This is a huge honor for our girls and our program," said Fried. "It's nice to see Ashby, Bridget and the other honoree's hard work pay off. I'm very proud of what we accomplished as a team, everyone's contributions play a role in our individual successes."
Noon has started in all 15 games so far this season for the Hoyas. She leads the veteran defense ranking second on the squad in caused turnovers with 21. The senior has been a force on the draw tying for a team-best 36 draw controls and 30 ground balls on the season. This is the first conference award for the co-captain and her first nod to the first team.
Kaestner has shown versatility in the midfield this season. The junior ranks second on the squad in goals and assists with 35 and 15. She is tied with Noon in draw controls with 36 and also has 29 ground balls to her credit. Kaestner's 17 caused turnovers rank her third on the team. Her ability to contribute on both ends of the field has been a key factor in GU's success this season. This is Kaestner's second first team honor, last season she was named First Team All-America. This season, Kaestner has twice been named the BIG EAST Offensive Player of the Week.
Molly Ford (Reisterstown, Md./Notre Dame Prep) earned her second nod to the All-BIG EAST First Team after leading the Hoyas in scoring from her position up front. The junior has posted a team-high 56 points on the season with 43 goals and 13 assists to her credit. Ford was a Third Team All-American last season and picked up right where she left off this year. She was recently named a Tewaaraton Trophy nominee along with Kaestner.
Megan Bloomer (Paoli, Pa./Conestoga) received her first BIG EAST honor with a spot on the second team. Bloomer has six goals and three assists on the season for nine points. The senior co-captain ranks second on the squad in draw controls and has 20 ground balls. Bloomer is a defensive midfielder that works both ends of the field.
Jordan Trautman (Mystic, Conn./Loomis Chaffee School) was a second team selection after her outstanding work on the defense. The senior co-captain leads the team in caused turnovers with 22 and is third in ground balls with 26. Much of her work, however, is not shown in the statistics as Trautman, Noon and the rest of the defense make up one of the most veteran and effective groups in the league. This is Trautman's second career BIG EAST honor.
Jordy Kirr (Baltimore, Md./Bryn Mawr School) is another potent attacker in the Georgetown offense, she was named to the second team. The sophomore is GU's second leading scorer with 52 points on 33 goals and 19 assists. Kirr has been effective behind the net and leads the Hoyas in assists. In just two seasons, she is on pace to become one of Georgetown's assist leaders. This is her first BIG EAST honor.
Caitlin Formby (Towson, Md./Notre Dame Prep) was selected to the All-BIG EAST Second Team for the second consecutive year. The junior has started all 15 games and has 112 saves on the season with a 9.59 goals against average. With an 11-4 record Formby played an important role especially in wins over Syracuse and Notre Dame.
Fried earns his first Coach of the Year award after leading the Hoyas to a regular season title. The fifth-year coach has a 60-28 record on the Hilltop and is 11-4 so far this season. Under his guidance, Fried has had 10 All-Americans and 28 All-BIG EAST honorees. Georgetown has won the regular season in four of his five seasons and advanced to the NCAA Tournament as many times.
The No. 1 Hoyas will host No. 4 Louisville in the second semifinal of the evening on Friday at Multi-Sport Field. The opening draw is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. The game will be televised tape delayed on Verizon FiOS and a webcast along with live stats will be available through the BIG EAST website. Fans hoping to hear the voice of Georgetown announcer Chuck Timanus, can listen to an audio-only broadcast at www.GUHoyas.com.
