File photo courtesy Mark Campbell

WILLIAMSBURG, VA -- Seven members of the University of Delaware women's lacrosse team were honored by the Colonial Athletic Association at the league's annual banquet on Thursday night at the College of William & Mary's University Center.

Sophomore midfielder Emily Schaknowski and junior goalkeeper Jessica Cerveny were selected to the All-CAA first team, while senior attack Casey McCrudden, senior midfielder Katie Muth, and junior defender Angela Gaeta took home second-team honors. Freshman midfielders Lindsey Coon and Julianna Jeffers kept the hardware coming, as both were named to the All-Rookie squad.

Schaknowski (at right) has scored 29 goals and dished out a team-high 23 assists for the Blue Hens (11-5, 4-3 Colonial Athletic Association), leading UD with 52 points to earn a first-team nod. Her 23 assists are tied for first in the league, and she has scored three or more goals five times in 2008. Schaknowski notched a career-high six points on March 8 against St. Bonaventure and on March 28 versus Penn State.

Cerveny joined her on the first team on the strength of her 11-5 record and 143 saves in the Delaware goal. She has posted a solid 10.62 goals against average and a .466 save percentage on the way to her second straight all-conference selection. She stopped a career-high 18 shots at Notre Dame on March 13.

McCrudden has netted a team-high 39 goals and dished out two assists on the year, while Muth has tallied 29 goals and ranks second on the squad with 15 assists. Muth, who also made the All-CAA second team last season, has converted 11 of her 18 free-position shots to lead the Hens.

McCrudden has scored three or more goals seven times on the year, including a pair of five-goal games, while Muth has posted six hat tricks of her own and exploded for seven points (five goals, two assists) on April 4 against Drexel.

Gaeta joined them on the second team after collecting 22 ground balls and 18 caused turnovers to anchor a Delaware defense that ranks third in the conference in goals against average.

Delaware led all teams with five All-CAA picks, its most since joining the league in 2002, while William & Mary and George Mason had four representatives apiece.

Jeffers proved she'll be a force to be reckoned with for years to come, scoring 21 goals and adding three assists on the way to an All-Rookie selection. Coon, the only UD freshman to start all 16 games, joined Jeffers on the All-Rookie team after she notched two goals, 27 draw controls, and 14 ground balls in the regular season.

Towson midfielder Hillary Fratzke was named CAA Player of the Year after leading the CAA with 75 points (52 goals, 23 assists), 48 ground balls, 73 draw controls, and 40 caused turnovers. Rookie of the Year honors went to William and Mary midfielder Grace Golden, while George Mason's Maggie Bridges was named the league's Defensive Player of the Year.

Christine Halfpenny of William & Mary took home CAA Coach of the Year honors after she led the Tribe to a 5-2 league mark and the No. 1 seed in the CAA Championships, which begin tomorrow afternoon at Albert-Daly Field. The fourth-seeded Blue Hens take on No. 1 seed William & Mary at 5 p.m., while No. 3 seed Towson takes on second-seeded George Mason at 7:30. The championship game is scheduled for Sunday at 1 p.m.

The Hens, in search of their first CAA title, fell to James Madison in last year's semifinals.

AGATE:

First-Team All-CAA: A Brittany Berger (GMU), A Corrine Gandolfi (HOF), A Laura King (GMU), M Megan Bartlett (GMU), M Hillary Fratzke (TOW), M Grace Golden (WM), M Emily Schaknowski (UD), M Jaime Sellers (WM), D Maggie Bridges (GMU), D Julie Ondrako (TOW), D Alysse Ruszkowski (HOF), GK Jessica Cerveny (UD)

Second-Team All-CAA: A Jessica Bill (DREX), A Casey McCrudden (UD), A Annie Wagner (JMU), M Katie Bradley (DREX), M Kim Griffin (JMU), M Katie Muth (UD), M Lauren Whitcomb (HOF), M Britt Woodfield (TOW), D Ashley Bolton (WM), D Angela Gaeta (UD), D Brigid Strain (JMU), GK Emily Geary (WM)

CAA All-Rookie Team: D Sam Berger (DREX), M Lindsey Coon (UD), A Chelsea Gamble (GMU), GK Emily Geary (WM), M Grace Golden (WM), D Caitlin Hoffen (GMU), A Ashley Holofcener (WM), A Madalyn Jamison (GMU), M Julianna Jeffers (UD), A Stephanie Rice (HOF)

CAA Player of the Year: Hillary Fratzke, Towson
CAA Defensive Player of the Year: Maggie Bridges, George Mason
CAA Rookie of the Year: Grace Golden, William & Mary
CAA Coach of the Year: Christine Halfpenny, William & Mary