Albany, N.Y. ? The Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches' Association (IWLCA) has recognized the University at Albany program as a Division I Merit Squad. The Great Danes led all NCAA Division I institutions with a team grade point average of 3.45. Atlantic Coast Conference schools Virginia Tech (3.44) and Duke (3.43) were second and third, respectively, among the 41 lacrosse programs that were honored.
In Division I, 157 women from 57 schools were named to the 2007 IWLCA Academic Honor Roll. UAlbany, national champion Northwestern and Sacred Heart each had six student-athletes selected. The Great Danes on the list include Kate Fontana, Brittany Scott, Jen Daly, Katelyn Primomo, Leslie Russell and Teresa Strano. Fontana, Daly and Russell made the academic honor roll for the second straight year.
Fontana, a senior midfielder, had a 3.71 GPA in criminal justice with a dual minor in Spanish and biology. She was named first-team All-America East Conference and second-team All-Northeast Region as a senior. Fontana, the school's all-time scorer with 156 goals and 36 assists, received the 2007 ECAC Merit Medal and Chancellor's Scholar-Athlete Award.
Primomo posted a 3.56 GPA in a dual major of biology and sociology. She was chosen to the All-America East first team for the second year in a row as a midfielder. Daly, a second-team all-conference goalkeeper, was voted to the America East all-championship squad after recording 15 saves in the tournament final against Boston University. Daly, who is the school's career save leader with 676, had a 3.85 GPA in mathematics with a minor in computer science.
Scott, a junior midfielder, had a 3.53 GPA in psychology with a minor in education. She was a starter in all 17 games and totaled 16 goals and five assists. Russell, a senior, was in the starting lineup in 11 of 15 games played in the midfield. She registered a 3.83 in biology. Strano, who made 11 starts in 16 appearances as a defender, posted a 3.63 in Spanish with a minor in business administration.
The Great Danes, who tied the program's Division I mark for single-season victories, advanced to the America East championship game for the first time in the their history after upending top-seed Stony Brook in the semifinal round.
