SUNYAC Women's Lacrosse Makes a Mark on Final 2012 National Poll and Rankings
The Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) released its final Division III national poll and tabbed four SUNYAC schools. Cortland ranked third after a 20-2 season that saw the Red Dragons win their 14th straight SUNYAC title. The Red Dragons played in the NCAA Div. III tournament for the 14th consecutive year and advanced to their second straight “final four” before losing, 7-5, to eventual national champion Trinity College (Conn.) in the national semifinals. Buffalo State was slotted 20th with a 14-7 record. Buffalo State was the runner-up in the SUNYAC tournament and went on to earn its first-ever NCAA playoff bid. The Bengals defeated Springfield 18-10 in the first round of the NCAA tourney, before falling at Trinity (Conn.).
Brockport and Fredonia were among seven schools also receiving votes. The Golden Eagles advanced to the SUNYAC Playoffs for the third consecutive year and finished with a record of 10-5. The Blue Devils had their finest season in program history in 2012. In addition to setting a single-season school record for wins (14-5), they finished second in the SUNYAC regular season and earned the program's first NCAA Division III tournament berth.
SUNYAC women’s lacrosse also made its mark on the national statistical rankings. Buffalo State senior attack Karen Shaddock led the nation with a school-record 108 goals and 150 points.
Buffalo State’s Kendyl Clarkson led the nation with a Division III record of 88 assists during the season. Clarkson’s 4.19 assists per game ranked second, a category she led the previous two years. Her 123 points during 2012 ranked fifth.
Cortland senior midfield Lindsay Abbott ranked second in points this season with 130 and her 59 assists ranked her fifth. Junior midfield Maria DiFato averaged 2.82 caused turnovers per game to rank third among Division three. Oneonta’s Heidi Kissinger finished third in draw controls with 8.69 per game.
On the team side of the rankings, the Oneonta Red Dragons totaled 302 draw controls on the year to lead the nation with 18.88 per game. Cortland ended the year with 520 points to rank second overall and finished sixth in scoring defense, holding opponents to 7.05 goals a game. Brockport finished third in the nation in scoring offense (16.93) while Oneonta ranked eighth (16.31).
