HAMILTON, Ont. – Western Mustangs freshman Emmi Morris was named the Ontario University Athletics (OUA) outstanding rookie as the as OUA announced its 2009 major award winners and all-stars.
Morris, the T. Litzen Sports outstanding rookie , hails from the lacrosse hotbed of Brampton, Ont. The attacker/midfielder had a breakout rookie year with the Mustangs, scoring 26 goals and eight assists for 34 points.
Western also had awards go to first-team all-stars Nicole Pullen (Orangeville, Ont.), Laura Robinson (Peterborough, Ont.) and Summer Windley (Kitchener, Ont.).
Mustangs Lindsay Doxtator (Southwold, Ont.) and Meranda Hodgson (Brighton, Ont.) were named second-team all-stars.
The Mustangs enter the OUA championships this weekend in Hamilton, hosted by McMaster as the No. 2 team and play Queen's in the Oct. 31 semifinal.
As if an undefeated lacrosse season weren't enough, the Toronto Varsity Blues receive four OUA awards.
The most valuable offensive player award, sponsored by Harrow Sports, is awarded to Varsity Blues attacker Yoko Murphy (Toronto). Murphy completed the regular season with an OUA-high 46 goals to go with seven assists for 53 points in 12 games.
Toronto defender Jeska Eedens (St. Catharines, Ont.) earns the Harrow Sports most valuable defensive player award, after helping the team achieve their 12-0 record. Toronto was second in goals allowed with 85 scored against the Varsity Blues this season.
For the second consecutive year, Toronto's Jen Held (Brampton, Ont.) is the OUA's most sportsmanlike player. The fourth-year attacker also led OUA with 63 regular season points sco! ring 29 goals and adding 34 assists.
The coach of the year award is presented to Toronto's Todd Pepper, after leading the team to an undefeated record. He receives the award for the fifth time since the 1999 season. Pepper has been the head coach of the women's lacrosse team since 1994, when the team was formed.
Joining Murphy, Held and Eedens as Harrow Sports OUA first-team all-stars are Braedyn O'Rahilly (Whitby, Ont.) of the Wilfrid Laurier Golden Hawks, Lisa McLaughlin (Whitby, Ont.) of the Queen's Gaels, and Nicole Pullen (Westside, Ont.), Laura Robinson (Peterborough, Ont.) and Summer Windley (Kitchener, Ont.) of the Mustangs.
The second-team all-stars include Western's Lindsay Doxtator (Southwold, Ont.) and Meranda Hodgson (Brighton, Ont.), Toronto's Taryn Grieder (Cobourg, Ont.) and Tory Merrill (Orangeville, Ont.), Jacklyn Heaton (Peterborough, Ont.) of the McMaster Marauders, Queen's Kayln Bolland (Mississauga, Ont.) and Laurier's Laura Juha (Mississauga, Ont.), Emma Pink (Orangeville, Ont.) and Hanna Burnett (Whitby, Ont.).
2009 OUA LACROSSE ALL-STARS AND MAJOR AWARD WINNERS
Most Valuable Offensive Player - Yoko Murphy (Toronto)
Most Valuable Defensive Player - Jeska Eedens (Toronto)
Outstanding Rookie - Emmi Morris (Western)
Most Sportsmanlike Player - Jen Held (Toronto)
Coach of the Year - Todd Pepper (Toronto)
FIRST-TEAM ALL-STARS
Jen Held - Attack (Brampton, Ont.) - Toronto
Braedyn O'Rahilly - Attack (Whitby, Ont.) - Laurier
Lisa McLaughlin - Midfield (Whitby, Ont.) - Queen's
Yoko Murphy - Midfield (Toronto) - Toronto
Nicole Pullen - Midfield (Orangeville, Ont.) - Western
Jeska Eedens - Defender (St. Catharines, Ont.) - Toronto
Laura Robinson - Defender (Peterborough, Ont.) - Western
Summer Windley - Goaltender (Kitchener, Ont.) - Western
SECOND-TEAM ALL-STARS
Lindsay Doxtator - Attack (Southwold, Ont.) - Western
Taryn Grieder - Attack (Cobourg, Ont.) - Toronto
Jackie Heaton - Midfield (Peterborough, Ont.) - McMaster
Laura Juha - Midfield (Mississauga, Ont.) - Laurier
Tory Merrill - Midfield (Orangeville, Ont.) - Toronto
Kayln Bolland - Defender (Mississauga, Ont.) - Queen's
Meranda Hodgson* - Defender (Brighton, Ont.) - Western
Emma Pink* - Defender (Orangeville, Ont.) - Laurier
Hanna Burnett - Goaltender (Whitby, Ont.) - Laurier
* denotes a tie
