The NCAA News - News and Features

May 5, 1997

Division III

Middlebury poised to grab title

Event: 1997 Division III Women's Lacrosse Championship.

Overview: Middlebury is atop the polls, despite the fact that the College of New Jersey has not lost a game on the field since 1991 (its 1992 title was vacated because the Lions used an ineligible player). The Panthers, runners-up last year, are 11-0 this season despite not having played a home game. They have gotten their stiffest tests from Amherst (winning 9-8 in overtime) and perennial title contender William Smith (12-11). Middlebury has appeared in the last three tournaments and has lost to College of New Jersey each year. The team is led by the school's all-time leading score, Amy DiAdamo, who has 33 goals and 25 assists this season, and Amity Wall, who has 44 goals and seven assists. Emily Bracken has a goals-against average of 6.61 .... Although College of New Jersey is undefeated, the Lions have not been quite as dominant as in past seasons. The closest calls through nine games came in the season opener against Salisbury State (8-6) and against Washington and Lee (also 8-6). Explosive Melanie Vasofski, who had five goals in last year's championship game, leads the squad in goals with 47, which is 17 more than second-place Megan Tropp. Goalie Heather Whalin and the defense give up 6.67 goals per game .... The Middlebury loss was William Smith's only defeat of the season through eight games. The Herons rolled in their other games after a tight, 18-16 opening win over powerful Trinity (Connecticut). In the five games sandwiched in between Trinity and Middlebury, the Herons outscored opponents, 109-34.

Field: Eight-team tournament. Teams will be selected from each of four regions: New England, North Central, Central and South Atlantic.

Dates and sites: The first round will be played May 10 at campus sites. The semifinals (May 17) and championship game (May 18) will be played at Lehigh.

Information/results: The fax-on-demand telephone number is 770/399-3060, passcode 1915. The request numbers are 5132 for the semifinals and 5133 for the championship game. No other games will be posted. Results of the semifinals and championship game also will be posted on the World Wide Web at www.ncaa.org. Scores from the first-round and semifinals pairings will appear in the May 19 issue of The NCAA News. Championship results will appear in the May 26 issue.