Redfern announces 2011 women's lax captains
5/19/2010 12:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
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BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh women’s lacrosse head coach Jill Redfern has announced that rising seniors Lauren Dykstra and Allison Thomas will serve as captains for the Mountain Hawks during the 2010-11 academic year. Dykstra and Thomas are both three time All-League selections and helped lead the women’s lacrosse program to new heights during the 2010 season as the Mountain Hawks tied the school record for wins with 14 and established a new mark for Patriot League victories with five. Lehigh also won its first regular season Patriot League championship since 1994 and advanced to the Patriot League championship game for the first time ever.
“The team has selected two outstanding student-athletes as team captains for the upcoming year,” Redfern explained. “Lauren and Allison are tenacious competitors and great teammates as well. They have the highest aspirations for their program.” She continued, “(Assistant coaches) Kelley (Putnam), Erin (Goodman) and I are looking forward to working with Lauren and Allison as we begin to prepare our team for the challenges of the 2011 season. We are confident they will provide the leadership necessary to drive this team to even greater heights.”
Dykstra is a three time First-Team All-League selection and the first student-athlete in Patriot League women’s lacrosse history to earn the Rookie of the Year, Offensive Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year awards. A 2009 First-Team Regional All-American, Dykstra’s on-field role changed during the 2010 season as she anchored Lehigh’s young defense and dominated the midfield through the Mountain Hawks ride. On two occasions the New Jersey native had a hand in ending a pair of the nation’s longest scoring streaks. In Lehigh’s win over Albany on April 12 Dykstra shut out Kayla Best, who had scored a goal in 56 straight games, and five days later Dykstra held Navy’s Erin Rawlick, the nation’s leading goal scorer to zero goals, which snapped Rawlick’s 50-game scoring streak.
During the 2010 season Dykstra led the Mountain Hawks with 54 goals and 62 points. She also scooped up a team best 47 ground balls, won 38 draw controls and caused 16 turnovers. Dykstra is currently second in school history with 184 career goals and third in career points with 215.
Thomas earned her first career First-Team All-League honor in 2010 following a season in which she led the Brown and White in draw controls with 45 and ranked second on the team in goals (62) and points (54). Thomas joined Dykstra on the 2010 Patriot League All-Tournament Team after totaling five goals and two assists in a pair of tourney games for Lehigh.
Thomas scored three or more goals in seven games in 2010, including a season best four at American and again versus Navy in the league tournament. Her season high in ground balls was six, which came in the opener against Mount St. Mary’s and she won a season best six draw controls in the Mountain Hawks win over archrival Lafayette. Thomas will enter her senior season with career totals of 78 goals, 28 assists and 106 points.
“LD and Allison have worked hard to develop their leadership skills throughout the past two years through participation in the Lehigh Athletics Leadership Academy’s curricular programs, the 360 degree leadership evaluation process (allowing them to compare self leadership ratings to those of teammates and coaches), and through guided team time,” explained Julie Sterrett, who serves as the Athletics Leadership Coordinator. “By re-examining their personal styles and abilities and reconstructing their general understanding of leadership, it appears that Lauren and Allison are better equipped to interact effectively with their teammates. I have observed growth in both of these young women and firmly believe they will utilize their natural competitiveness and their leadership growth to challenge the status quo within their program during the 2011 season.”
She added, “LD and Allison have earned credibility among teammates and coaches because of their consistent leadership by example and commitment to team core values and goals. What is especially exciting for the upcoming women’s lacrosse season is that these two leaders also have a compelling vision for success, the ability to set clear expectations, and an unmatched will to find a way to make that vision a reality on a daily basis.”
Lehigh will return nearly its entire team for the 2011 season, including all six of its All-Patriot League selections.
