Six Florida lacrosse players were honored by the American Lacrosse Conference this afternoon for their outstanding performances throughout the 2012 regular season. Kitty Cullen (Rockville, Md.), Brittany Dashiell (Bel Air, Md.) and Sam Farrell (Millersville, Md.) were each named First-Team All-ALC, while Nora Barry (Marcellus, N.Y.), Mikey Meagher (Liverpool, N.Y.) and Gabi Wiegand (Bay Shore, N.Y.) were all selected to the All-ALC Second Team. Additionally, Barry became the second Gator in three years to be named ALC Rookie of the Year, following teammate Ashley Bruns’ (Ellicott City, Md.) 2010 honor.

“It is an incredible honor to be selected by the American Lacrosse Conference, because it is such a strong conference full of talented, quality players,” said Head Coach Amanda O’Leary. “To have six Gators recognized within such a strong talent pool, it is truly an honor.”

Northwestern junior Taylor Thornton was named ALC Player of the Year after a solid season on both ends of the field. Penn State goalkeeper Dana Cahill captured her second-straight Goalie of the Year nod, and Northwestern Head Coach Kelly Amonte-Hiller picked up her seventh Coach of the Year award, for leading her team through a full season ranked at No. 1 in the nation.

Kitty Cullen, a two-time Tewaaraton Award nominee, garnered her second-straight First-Team All-ALC honor this morning. The Rockville, Md., native leads the Gators in both points per game (3.93) and assists per game (1.33), with a total of 39 goals and 20 assists for 59 points on the season. The 2011 ALC Player of the Year has had to adjust her style of play this season, often drawing double- or triple-teamed defense from her opponents. As a follow-up to her 77-goal performance in 2011, Cullen, who had just 15 assists through her first two seasons, put up 20 assists in the first 10 games of 2012, easily adjusting to her new role on the balanced 2012 Gators attacking unit. Additionally, the junior attacker has eight ground balls, six draw controls and a caused turnover on the season.

Brittany Dashiell earns a spot on the All-ALC First Team for the first time, after being named to the second team in 2010. A 2012 Tewaaraton Award nominee, Dashiell has had a standout campaign in the midfield, looking strong on both ends of the field as well as between the 30s. One of Florida’s nation-leading four players with over 50 points, Dashiell is tied for the team lead with 20 assists, while adding 34 goals on the offensive end. The Bel Air, Md., native is third on the team in both draw controls (38) and caused turnovers (11), while also tabbing 24 ground balls.

Sam Farrell was named to the All-ALC First Team for the second year in a row, after anchoring a Florida back line that leads the nation in scoring defense, allowing just 6.65 goals per game. Farrell is second on the team in both ground balls and caused turnovers, scooping up 30 ground balls and forcing 12 turnovers. The Millersville, Md., native was influential in leading the Gators past No. 1 Northwestern in the final game of the regular season, earning three ground balls and three caused turnovers while keeping the ‘Cats’ second-leading scorer Erin Fitzgerald from scoring a point from the field. Farrell was part of a trio of Gators honored by the ALC that week, marking the first time a team has won all three ALC weekly honors.

Nora Barry is having a breakout campaign for the Florida Gators, starting every game of the season and playing on both ends of the field. The 2012 ALC Rookie of the Year is just two ground balls shy of the school season record, notching a team-best 36 on the year, ranks second on the team in draw controls with 39, and has 32 goals on the season. A league-leading four-time ALC Rookie of the Week, Barry was named National Rookie of the Week twice in the month of April, The Marcellus, N.Y., native shined in conference play, sitting in second on the team with 12 goals and 15 points, including the game-winning goal in double overtime at Johns Hopkins.

Mikey Meagher earns a spot on the All-ALC Second Team for the second-consecutive year. The junior goalkeeper made 14 starts, owning a 12-2 record in 761:12 minutes played. Meagher held down the Gators’ tight defense, leading UF to average the fewest goals allowed of any team in the nation. Individually, Meagher ranks second in the country in save percentage (.505), making 104 saves while allowing just 94 goals, to be one of just five goalkeepers in the nation with a save percentage above .500. Additionally, her 7.41 goals-against average is the third-best in the NCAA.

Gabi Wiegand rounds out the All-ALC Second Team, earning second-team all-conference for the third time in her career, after being named All-Atlantic 10 in her first two seasons with the University of Richmond. Wiegand leads the Gators in goals, with 45 on the year, and is three points shy of the team lead with 58 points. Tied for the team lead with four game-winning goals, the Bay Shore, N.Y., native also tallied 12 ground balls, nine draw controls and four caused turnovers.

The Gators hit the field on Friday night in the ALC Semifinals, hosted by the University of Florida at Donald R. Dizney Stadium. The top seed for the tournament, Florida will face the winner of Ohio State and Vanderbilt’s quarterfinal game on Thursday. The tournament kicks off Thursday at 4:30 p.m. with the first quarterfinal matchup between Penn State and Johns Hopkins. 

2012 All-Conference Honors

Player of the Year: Taylor Thornton, Northwestern

Goalie of the Year: Dana Cahill, Penn State

Rookie of the Year: Nora Barry, Florida

Coach of the Year: Kelly Amonte-Hiller, Northwestern

All-ALC First Team

Dana Cahill, Penn State

Gabby Capuzzi, Ohio State

Ally Carey, Vanderbilt

Lizzy Carney, Penn State

Kitty Cullen, Florida

Taylor D’Amore, Johns Hopkins

Brittany Dashiell, Florida

Sam Farrell, Florida

Erin Fitzgerald, Northwestern

Alayna Markwordt, Ohio State

Shannon Smith, Northwestern

Taylor Thornton, Northwestern

All-ALC Second Team

Nora Barry, Florida

Paige Cahill, Vanderbilt

Tatum Coffey, Penn State

Kirsten Donahue, Ohio State

Alex Frank, Northwestern

Alyssa Kildare, Johns Hopkins

Colleen McCaffrey, Johns Hopkins

Maggie McCormick, Penn State

Mikey Meagher, Florida

Lacey Vigmostad, Northwestern

Gabi Wiegand, Florida

Theresa Zichelli, Penn State