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Princeton University Athletics
Eyes On The Prize
January 21, 2003 | Women's Lacrosse
Jan. 21, 2003
Princeton, N.J. - With high expectations and much to be excited about, the Princeton women's lacrosse team is poised and ready to defend its national championship crown in 2003. The Tigers return eight starters from a team that finished last season with a school-record 19 straight wins and the addition of another solid recruiting class has Princeton hoping to reign supreme once again.
With the season fast approaching and the loss of seven key seniors, the Tigers know that the road to the Final Four won't be an easy one. The season begins on March 5 at Class of 1952 Stadium and here are just some of the questions that Princeton will need to answer en route to another championship push.
What Did Princeton Do In 2002? All the Tigers did was win their second national championship and sixth Ivy League championship while winning a school-record 19 games. Princeton finished 19-1 overall and perfect in the Ivy League at 7-0. The Tigers also set records for longest winning streak (19), most points in a season (428), most goals in a season (291) and most assists in a season (137). Princeton held the top spot in the national rankings at season's end after sitting atop the polls for five consecutive weeks, longer than anyone else. So What's Different In 2003? Princeton lost seven seniors to graduation, including All-Americas Lauren Simone, Charlotte Kenworthy and Brooke Owens. Simone, a first-team member, was also Princeton's leading scorer and was named the 2002 NCAA Tournament MVP. All three were named first-team All-Ivy, while another senior, Mimi Hammerberg, was named second-team All-Ivy. The Tigers will try to fill these holes with seven freshmen and two juniors who took time off last season.
How About The Returning Players? "We have a solid corps of players back from last year's team," says head coach Chris Sailer. "Everyone coming back has competed in the Final Four, so we have big-game experience." The Tigers also return two of their three first-team All-Americas in Rachael Becker and Theresa Sherry. Becker led the Tiger defense with a team-high 46 caused turnovers and Sherry was second on the team in scoring with 42 goals, despite missing three games. The Tigers also have two honorable mention All-Ivy players returning in sophomores Lindsey Biles and Sarah Kolodner. Biles finished with a team-high 16 goals in Ivy competition while Kolodner finished her freshman campaign unbeaten in goal. Princeton returns eight starters from the NCAA championship game last spring. Along with Becker, Biles, Kolodner, Miller and Sherry, the Tigers also return Alex Fiore, Katie Norbury and Elizabeth Pillion from last year's starting 12.
What's That About Final Four Experience? The Tiger seniors have been to the Final Four each of their first three seasons at Princeton. No other team in the nation has been to the Final Four in each of the past three seasons.
What Goals Are Set For This Season? The Tigers come into this season with a new mantra, 'Nothing to defend, much to go after.' Coach Sailer won't get ahead of herself and is focused on maximizing her team's potential. "Our goal is to work hard every day, compete on the field and be the best team that we can be," says Sailer. "If we perform like we are capable of performing, we will go far."
Who Are The Newcomers? The Tigers welcome back Summer Crabtree and Liza Hillenbrand, both of whom took last season off and are juniors ready to make an impact in 2003. The incoming freshman class has Olachi Opara and Jamie Sundheim listed at attack, Anita Rackovan, Lindsey Tintenfass and Diana Zakem at midfield and Caitlin Abidin and Lauren Vance at defense. Kelly Sosa, a walk-on senior, also joins the squad after four years of soccer at Princeton. She will be another option for Sailer in goal.
How Does The Attack Look? Princeton returns three of its six top scorers from a year ago. The Tigers will look to tri-captains Whitney Miller and Sarah Small to lead the attack. Miller had a great fall and Sailer expects big things from her vocal leader on the field. Lindsey Biles had an outstanding freshman campaign and will provide plenty of offense for what should be a balanced Princeton attack. "Although we were very balanced last season, other teams keyed in on [Lauren] Simone and [Charlotte] Kenworthy," says Sailer. "We'll be spread out on offense again this season with different player matchups and expect to once again cause problems for opponents." Returning to the attack will be juniors Crabtree and Hillenbrand. Sailer is happy with their development and is excited to see what each of them adds to the offense. The Tigers will also see the likes of Tara Hardiman and Leigh Slonaker in the lineup. With attackers like Simone and Kenworthy gone, players like Opara, Sundheim and Katie Yakulis will be asked to step up and contribute.
Who's Playing In The Midfield? The midfield is where most of Princeton's experience lies. The Tigers return starters Fiore, Sherry and Pillion. Fiore played in all 20 games last season; Sherry was second on the team in points with 56 and Pillion, who started the year as a back-up defender, moved into the starting lineup at midfield by the time the season was over. Juniors like Hillenbrand, Mary Beth Hogan and Katie Coyne are expected to be key members of the midfield while sophomore Ingrid Goldberg, who finished with four goals on four shots last season, looks to make some contributions in her second season with the program.
What About Defense? Two-time first-team All-America Becker anchors a strong Princeton defense. She will get plenty of help from junior Katie Norbury, who finished right behind Becker, logging the second highest minute total last season with over 1,000 minutes played. Senior Hannah Foster and junior Kellie Cramm serve as the upperclassmen of this unit. Sophomore Jennifer Austin also returns with a couple freshmen additions, Caitline Abidin and Lauren Vance, filling in and possibly stepping up when the season gets under way. No defense is complete without a goalkeeper and the Tigers have one of the best in Kolodner. Stepping into the starting role in Princeton's third game last season, Kolodner was unbeatable, finishing with a perfect 18-0 record while making 116 saves. Only a sophomore, Kolodner has championship experience, playing all 60 minutes in the NCAA championship game against Georgetown, registering nine saves in Princeton's 12-7 win.
What About The Ivy League? The Ivy League will be strong once again. The Tigers' unbeaten conference mark last season was their first since 1996. The Ivy League is considered one of the best conferences in the nation, as evidenced by last year's Final Four with both Princeton and Cornell representing the league. "We're looking to do really well," says Sailer. "The Ivy League championship is the goal. In order for that to happen, we have to be ready to play each and every game." Yale will be strong this season, and Cornell lost some key players but still has Final Four experience under its belt. Dartmouth is young but very talented, and both Harvard and Pennsylvania are much improved from last season.
How Does The Schedule Look? The Tigers will once again have a challenging schedule with road games at Cornell, Duke, Maryland and Virginia - all teams that finished ranked in the Top 10 last season. Princeton faced 11 of the other 15 teams in the NCAA tournament last season, defeating all of them. The 2003 season begins on March 5 with Lafayette visiting Class of 1952 Stadium. Loyola comes to town four days later and then the Tigers hit the road for a pair of ACC showdowns. The highlight of the schedule is on March 28 when Georgetown visits Princeton for a rematch of last year's NCAA championship game. After a three-game road trip at Penn, Dartmouth and Maryland to close out April, the Tigers wrap up the regular season with Brown at home on May 3.
What Are The Question Marks? With seven seniors graduating, a lot of players who have had little game experience will be thrust into action. Some players who played one position may be asked to switch to other positions to balance talents and make the team better. The biggest question mark will be how players adjust to new roles. The seven incoming freshmen will have to adjust to the level of championship play so that they can make an impact on the program.
What Did Princeton Learn From Winning The National Title? "Last year's team learned how to have fun by practicing hard," says Sailer. "When that mentality takes over, the whole experience is worth while and fulfilling."