May 4, 2010
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. - Three members of the Penn State women's lacrosse team have earned 2010 All-American Lacrosse Conference honors, the league office announced on Tuesday. Senior midfielder Theresa Bucci (Hudson, Ohio) and junior midfielder Maggie Dunbar (Cockeysville, Md.) were named First Team All-ALC while junior defender Jackie Eastman (Springfield, Pa.) was a Second Team All-ALC selection.
With three Nittany Lions recognized this season, Penn State has had a total of 38 All-ALC performers since the conference's inception in 2002.
Theresa Bucci earns her third consecutive All-ALC honor with her 2010 first team selection after being recognized on the second team as a sophomore and junior. Also named to the preseason All-ALC team for the second straight year, Bucci, has put together her finest season as a Nittany Lion in 2010. With two goals in the regular season finale against Temple, she became the first Nittany Lion to reach the 30-goal plateau since 2006. With six assists, she leads the team in points with 36. A starter of 12 games, missing two due to a broken nose suffered mid-season, Bucci has also contributed 15 draw controls, 13 ground balls, and seven caused turnovers. The 2010 team co-captain is Penn State's leading active career scorer with 95 points.
Maggie Dunbar successfully transitioned from defense in 2010, emerging as a force in the midfield for Penn State. Tough and aggressive on both ends of the field, she leads the Nittany Lions in ground balls (35) and caused turnovers (18) and ranks second in draw controls (29). Providing another option on an already balanced PSU attack, Dunbar scored two goals and tallied a career-high eight assists.
Another player who effectively switched positions in the offseason, Jackie Eastman moved from the midfield to the defensive end and quickly became a linchpin of the unit. Key to the transition game due to rare speed and elusive quickness, Eastman ranked second on the team in caused turnovers (15) and ground balls (31). A starter in 13 of the 14 games in which she played, she also notched nine draw controls and contributed one goal, converting on her lone shot of the season on a free position attempt.
Penn State (9-6) begins postseason action on Thursday when it takes on Ohio State (9-7) at 3:00 p.m. in a semifinal match-up of the 2010 American Lacrosse Conference Championship at Jesse Owens Memorial Stadium in Columbus, Ohio. The Nittany Lions are the No. 4 seed while the host Buckeyes are the No. 5 seed.
Fans can follow all of the action online as Penn State pursues an ALC title with live stats and instant scoring updates. All Nittany Lion contests at the ALC Championship will also be video streamed live at www.BigTenNetwork.com for a fee of $2.99 per game. Find links on the official website of Penn State athletics, www.GoPSUsports.com