UAlbany's Branchini & Ross Are Candidates for America East Fans' Choice Player of the Year

Cambridge, Mass. - The America East Conference is now conducting its vote for the Women's Lacrosse Fans' Choice Player of the Year Award. Fans can vote for their favorite America East women's lacrosse player. UAlbany's Nikki Branchini and Ashley Ross are among the candidates.

http://www.americaeast.com//quest/Questionaire.dbml?SPSID=59680&SPID=6540&QID=79625&DB_OEM_ID=14000

Voting will go through the end of the day on Thursday, April 29. The winner will be announced Friday, April 30 via release at AmericaEast.com.

UAlbany's Nikki Branchini was voted the 2009 America East Conference Women's Lacrosse Fans' Choice Player of the Year.

Branchini, a junior defensive midfielder from Guilderland, N.Y., ranks third among the NCAA Division I leaders in draw controls (5.0 pg), plus is eighth nationally in ground balls (3.31 pg) and caused turnovers (2.08 pg). She has 10 goals and three assists with a .476 shot percentage. A two-time first-team all-conference selection, Branchini had 14 draw controls against Binghamton this season, one off the NCAA single-game record. She tied a career-high with three goals against Hofstra. In addition, Branchini had a career-best seven ground balls vs. Vermont and caused a career-high four turnovers against Colgate and Lehigh. She was chosen conference defensive player of the week once this season.

Ross, a senior goalkeeper from Lancaster, Pa., is third among the NCAA Division I leaders in save percentage (.525) and fourth nationally in goals against average (7.69). In her first year as a starter, Ross has made double-figure saves on six occasions, including a career-best 12 stops against Denver and Lehigh. Ross has twice been named the conference's defensive player of the week this season. She made the lacrosse team as a walk-on in November 2008 after earning All-America East Conference honors three times as a field hockey goalkeeper. She led the UAlbany field hockey program to its first-ever NCAA appearance in the fall of 2008.

UAlbany is having its best season at the Division I level with a 12-2 record. The Great Danes and Boston University will play for the America East regular-season title and the right to host the conference postseason championship on Saturday, May 1 at 4:00 p.m.


Courtesy: UAlbany Sports Information