Posted: May 02, 2016

Three Women's Lacrosse Players Earn All-Conference, Vurno Named Rookie of the Year

ATTLEBORO, Mass. – Elms College freshman Vanessa Vurno (Salem, Conn.) was voted New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) Rookie of the Year as the postseason awards were announced Monday afternoon. Senior Ashley Cava (Wilbraham, Mass.) and sophomore Jackie Soucia (Belchertown, Mass.) earned First Team honors, while senior Kieran Ramsey (Easthampton, Mass.) claimed Second Team honors.

As a freshman, Vurno set the program record for points in a season with 79, tallying 46 goals, third-most in program history, and 33 assists, a new program record. Vanessa was named NECC Rookie of the Week six times, and led the NECC in points, while ranking second in assists and seventh in goals.

Cava became Elms' all-time assist leader after racking up 29 assists in her final season to finish with 62 career helpers. Ashley added a career-high 35 goals to total 64 points, second-most points in a single season, and moved into second all-time in career points with 152. For the season, Cava ranked third in the NECC in assists and fifth in points.

Soucia takes home her first All-Conference award after leading the NECC in draw control (110), while ranking fourth in assists (15), fifth in groundballs (64), sixth in caused turnovers (32) and points (62), and eighth in goals (47). Jackie registered the third-most points in a season and the third-most goals in a single season in program history.

Ramsey receives her first All-Conference recognition after leading the Blazers defensive line with 23 caused turnover and 36 groundballs, while adding a pair of assists. Ramsey started all 17 games as a senior.

Sophomore Madison Crawford (Bennington, Vt.) was named to the NECC All-Sportsmanship Team.

Southern Vermont College's Mel Orrell claimed 2016 NECC Women's Lacrosse Player of the Year honors after a spectacular junior campaign.

Orrell finished the season leading the NECC in goals (68) and ranking third in points (76). The Gloucester, Mass. native currently ranks seventh across the NCAA averaging 5.53 ground balls per game.

Regis College senior Emma Decker led the conference on the defensive side earning NECC Goalkeeper of the Year Honors. The Southborough, Mass. native led the NECC in conference games with a save percentage of 73.3, and goals against average of just 3.29, after allowing just 23 goals in the seven contests. Decker helped lead the Pride to their fourth straight NECC Women's Lacrosse Title and an undefeated conference record.

Southern Vermont head coach Thomas Otero was voted Coach of the Year, by his peers, after guiding the Mountaineers to the NECC Championship Game in just their second year as an NCAA program.

The All-NECC First Team is led by Ashley Murtha from Mitchell College currently leads the NCAA averaging 6.44 goals per game and stands second in points per game with 6.89. The junior attack finished with the most goals in conference play (39), and the most points (41).

Joining Murtha on the line of attack was Elms College senior Ashley Cava. The Wibraham, Conn. native led the Blazers assisting on 17 goals in conference play and scoring 13 goals of her own. Teammate Jackie Soucia also collected first team honors for her midfield play.

Becker College was represented on the first team by Erika Galdamez and Rachel Adams. Junior Galdamez helped secure Becker into the playoffs finishing third in in conference play going (6-13) on free position attempts. Adams ranked first in conference play causing 25 turnovers in seven games.

Also, collecting All-NECC First Team honors from Southern Vermont was Lauren Nesshoever. The junior from Chittenden, Vt. was a strong offensive threat finishing with 45 goals and six assists for the season.

The Champion Regis Pride were also represented on the first team by senior midfielder Sam Salamone and senior defender Rachel Gagnon. Salamone finished the season third in goals (58) and fourth in overall points with (71). Gagnon was strong on defense throughout the season totaling 41 ground balls and 40 caused turnovers.

Rounding out the first team selections were Emma Marrs and Kate Frade from Wheelock College. The Wildcats shared the ball well throughout the season as Marrs finished with the most assists in the conference (36) and the most points (83). Frade led the team and the NECC defensively collecting 83 ground balls overall and 38 in conference play.

First Team

A - Ashley Murtha, Mitchell (Jr., South Windsor, Conn.)

A - Erika Galdamez, Becker (Jr., Concord, Calif.)

A - Ashley Cava, Elms (Sr., Wibraham, Conn.)

A - Lauren Nesshoever, Southern Vt. (Jr., Chittenden, Vt.)

M - Mel Orrell, Southern Vermont (Jr., Gloucester, Mass.)

M - Sam Salamone, Regis (Sr., Milford, Mass.)

M - Emma Marrs, Wheelock (Sr., Old Lyme, Conn.)

M - Jackie Soucia, Elms (So., Belchertown, Mass.)

D - Rachel Adams, Becker (Fr., Leominster, Mass.)

D - Katie Frade, Wheelock (So., Dartmouth, Mass.)

D - Rachel Gagnon, Regis (Sr., Ashford, Conn.)