BETHLEHEM, Pa. - Former Lehigh women's lacrosse greats Liz Brode '95, Jill Altshuler '96 and Lauren Dykstra '11 have earned a spot on the Patriot League Women's Lacrosse 25th Anniversary Team, as announced on Monday. In total, eight different schools were represented on the 25-player team and Lehigh's three honorees are tied for fourth most in the league.
As a senior, Brode earned Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year laurels and was an IWLCA second team All-American in both of her final two seasons. As a junior, Brode helped lead Lehigh to the Patriot League Championship behind an unbeaten record in league action. She tallied 69 points that season to lead the Patriot League. Brode followed as a senior by posting 85 points, including 64 goals. The only reason she didn't lead the league in scoring was because of her teammate, Altshuler, who recorded 89 points. Brode was named first team All-League in her final three seasons and was a member of the Patriot League All-Decade Team. She finished her career with 168 goals (currently fourth in school history) and 222 points (third).
One class younger than Brode was Althsuler, who capped her career with Patriot League Offensive Player of the Year laurels in 1996 after being named Rookie of the Year in 1993. An All-League honoree in her final three seasons, Althsuler played a key role in Lehigh's lone Patriot League title in 1994. She was an IWLCA second team All-American in 1995 and 1996, earning a spot on the Patriot League All-Decade Team, like Brode. In 1996, Altshuler posted a single-season school and league record 97 points, one year after tallying 68 points. In the end, Althsuler stands second in league history in career goals (242) and points (308), with each spot ranking among the top 25 in NCAA history. Also strong in the classroom, she was a two-time Patriot League Women's Lacrosse Scholar-Athlete of the Year and was the league's Female Scholar-Athlete of the Year for 1995-96. Althsuler was a two-time Academic All-American as well.
Dykstra enjoyed a dynamic career, doing it all for the Brown and White. She earned a different Patriot League major individual honor in each of her four seasons, beginning with Rookie of the Year in 2008, following with Offensive Player of the Year in 2009, Defensive Player of the Year in 2010 and Midfield Player of the Year in 2011. A first team All-League honoree all four years, Dykstra garnered IWLCA third team All-America laurels as a senior. She currently stands as the Patriot League's all-time leader, and is in the top 10 in NCAA history, with 257 goals, and stands third in league history in both points (302) and groundballs (207). She also finished her career with 144 draw controls and 72 caused turnovers. Dykstra tallied at least 54 goals and 62 points in each of her four seasons, highlighted by her senior season when she finished with 72 goals and 14 assists for 86 points. She led Lehigh to a share of the Patriot League regular-season title in both 2010 and 2011.
The Patriot League will celebrate its 25th Anniversary throughout the season with coverage on its website and social media outlets, including Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and the new Patriot League Instragram account. Website coverage will feature stories on former student-athletes who excelled in the Patriot League and in their professional careers as well as pieces that chronicle 25 topics covering the history of the Patriot League and its member schools. Fans can follow and participate in social media coverage throughout the season by using #PL25.
The team members are listed below by school, including each player's years of competition in the Patriot League. Each school that participates in women's lacrosse selected 25 players in the voting for the 25th Anniversary Team, and could not vote for its own student-athletes.
American: Jackie Lane (2005-08)
Bucknell: Suzanne Raffaele (2000-03)
Colgate: Shari Krasnoo (1991); Angela Chongris (1995-98); Courtney Miller (2009-12); Kate McVeigh (2003-06); Hilary Meyer (1996-99)
Holy Cross: Patricia Sutton (2004-07); Megan Orr (2004-07)
Lafayette: Andrea Dagostino (1991-94); Heather McClelland (1999-02); Stephanie Tinney (1999-02); Suzi Farrell (1991-92); Loren Berkheimer (1997-00); Liz Bagley (1991-92)
Lehigh: Lauren Dykstra (2008-11); Jill Altshuler (1993-96); Liz Brode (1992-95)
Loyola: Annie Thomas (2014-15); Maddy Lesher (2014-present); Taryn VanThof (2014-15); Marlee Paton (2014)
Navy: Jasmine DePompeo (2010-13); Loren Generi (2012-15); Erin Rawlick (2008-10)
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