Spiders Place Five On VaSID All-State Field Hockey Squads

Dec. 16, 2005

UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, Va. - Richmond seniors Allie Howard and Whitney Wells along with sophomore Shannon Taylor were part of the 2005 VaSID All-State Field Hockey first team, as voted on by sports information directors across the commonwealth of Virginia. Seniors Michelle La Force and Lesley Russell also picked up second team honors, organization officials announced Friday.

Howard, who was named to the 2005 Dartfish/NFHCA All-South Region second team, also participated in the NFHCA North/South All-Star game along with La Force, Nov. 19 in Louisville, Ky. At the end of the regular season Howard became the first student-athlete in A-10 history to earn three-straight Player of the Year awards. The senior midfielder from Lancaster, Pa., was named the Offensive Player of the Year in 2003 and won back-to-back Defensive Player of the Year awards in 2004 and 2005. She was also the first student-athlete in A-10 history to earn consecutive Championship Most Outstanding Player honors (2003, 2004) and picked up a third in this season's Atlantic 10 Championship.

Taylor led the Richmond squad with a league-best 18 goals and 47 points on the season. Her 11 assists were second-best on the squad behind La Force. Her totals and per-game averages were among the national leaders in almost every offensive category. The Midlothian, Va., native was also a First Team All-Conference player in 2005.

Wells was the fifth-straight Spider to earn the Atlantic 10 Offensive Player of the Year honor and ended the season with 13 goals scored, three assists and 29 total points. Her goal total and per-game average was among the nations' best as well. The Clayton, Del., native was a First Team All-Conference player, and was named to the A-10 All-Tournament squad.

La Force and Russell, both of which were part of the second team, anchored a defensive unit which ranked among the Top-10 nationally in scoring defense, giving up just 1.34 goals per game, and limited A-10 opponents to just three goals in seven games. La Force's 17 assists ranked among the Top-5 in the nation and led the squad. As the stick-stop in Richmond's penalty-corner attempts, the Centreville, Va., native boasted a career total of 36 assists. That total was five better than Richmond's previous career-assist record of 31 held by Spider assistant coach Jill Murphy (1999-2002).

Russell ranked third on the squad in assists with 10, utilizing her push-out position on the Spiders' penalty-corner attempts. Russell also posted three goals on the season, including the game-winner at Virginia.

The Spiders finished the 2005 season with a 16-6 mark and advanced to the NCAA Tournament Round of 16 for the fourth-straight season. Howard, Wells, La Force and Russell, members of the Richmond senior class of 2005, never lost to an Atlantic 10 opponent, going 33-0 over their four seasons, and led the Spiders to four-straight A-10 Championships.

VaSID All-State First Team
Denise Admiraal, ODU
Katherine Blair, UVa
Anna Davis, W&M
Janelle Engle, ODU
Kelly Giles, W&M
Allie Howard, Richmond
Caroline Nichols, ODU
Dana Sensenig, ODU
Shannon Taylor, Richmond
Baillie Versfeld, JMU
Whitney Wells, Richmond

VaSID All-State Second Team
Daphne Admiraal, ODU
Lori Amico, JMU
Carly Falgowski, W&M
Allison Flynn, UVa
Gwen Hunter, W&M
Shannon Karl, W&M
Michelle La Force, Richmond
Mia Link, UVa
Katie Phillips, UVa
Lesley Russell, Richmond
Ashley Walls, JMU

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