Mendham, N.J. native caps stellar freshman season with national honor

EASTON, Mass. (May 27, 2011) – Stonehill College freshman midfielder Kelsey Shannahan (Mendham, N.J./Morris Catholic) has been selected to the Division II All-Rookie Team by Womenslacrosse.com.

Shannahan, a Northeast-10 All-Conference and All-Rookie honoree this spring, started all 19 games for the Skyhawks in her first collegiate season and made an immediate impact in the midfield. She led the team with 59 ground balls and was third on the roster with 41 caused turnovers, ranking ninth among all players in Division II. Shannahan scored 25 goals and collected 13 assists for 38 points on the season, and was a frequent target off the draw for the Skyhawks with 34 draw controls, fourth on the team.

Shannahan collected four or more ground balls nine times this season, scooping a season-high six in her second career game, a 20-1 rout of Saint Michael’s College on March 8. She posted a pair of three-goal games in her top scoring performances, and tallied a season-high five points in Stonehill’s 19-4 victory over Southern New Hampshire University in the first round of the NE-10 Women’s Lacrosse Championship on May 4, netting a pair of goals and picking up three assists.

Shannahan earned NE-10 Rookie of the Week honors once this season, collecting the award after helping Stonehill to a pair of non-conference victories over Rollins College and Shepherd University during spring break competition in March. She is the Skyhawks’ second consecutive selection to the Womenslacrosse.com national All-Rookie team, after sophomore goaltender Rebecca Moore (Marlborough, Mass./St. Mark's School) was named to the squad last season.

Stonehill (15-4, 10-2 NE-10), ranked ninth in the final IWLCA Division II national poll, posted their highest win total in four seasons and earned the third seed in the NE-10 Women's Lacrosse Championship, where the Skyhawks fell in the semifinal round to eventual national semifinalist Le Moyne College.