opening draw... Sunday's match between Mount St. Mary's and Robert Morris marks the fifth meeting in the all-time series dating back to the 2005 season. The Mount leads the series 4-0, including a 14-9 victory last year in Emmitsburg.

about the colonials... Robert Morris comes into the contest 8-8 overall and 4-3 in Northeast Conference play after defeating Saint Francis (Pa.) 23-9 on Friday. Senior A Ashley Levering paced the Colonials with three goals and seven assists against the Red Flash. Levering leads the team with 12 goals and an NEC record 48 assists for 60 points. Freshman A Courtney Sicinski added onetally and six helpers on Friday. The freshman ranks second on the squad with 26 goals and 21 assists for 47 points. Senior A Emily Tomlinson, who found the twine five times against Saint Francis (Pa.), is third on the team with 35 goals and nine assists for 44 points. Junior GK Erica Webb has 173 saves, a 10.96 goals against average and a .510 save percentage.

last time we met... Rebecca Douglass posted two goals in a 6-0 run in the second half to fuel Mount St. Mary's past Robert Morris 14-9 on Mar. 20, 2008. Douglass finished the match with three tallies and an assist. Brena Waraksa posted a marker and three assists while Katelyn Catanese found the twine three times in the winning effort. Kara Blakeley paced the Colonials with three tallies and an assist, and Alana Beck chipped in a goal and two helpers.

last time out... Senior Katelyn Catanese scored five goals to lift Mount St. Mary's past Wagner 19-8 on Apr. 11. Senior Brianna Gauthier notched a career-high four goals and three assists while junior Ashley Johnson, senior Kathleen Rossetti and freshman Jen Semler each found the twine twice in the winning effort.

in the hunt for the top spot... Mount St. Mary's clinched its seventh-straight tournament appearance and 11th overall with its win against Wagner on Apr. 11. The Mount can clinch at least a share of the regular season title with a victory at Robert Morris. A win against the Colonials and a loss by Quinnipiac will give the Mount the No. 1 seed and will host the tournament for the third time in the last five years (2005, 2007). However, the Mountaineers could end in a three-way tie for first place at 7-1 with Sacred Heart and Quinnipiac. Since each team's only loss would be against the one of the three teams tied for first, the final tiebreaker is goals allowed in NEC games with the current statistics standing at Sacred Heart (45), Quinnipiac (64) and the Mount (65). The Mount will be no lower than a No. 3 seed in the tournament.

starting the conference strong... Mount St. Mary's has started the Northeast Conference slate 6-1 for the second time in program history and the first time since the 2005 season. The Mount looks to finish the league schedule 7-1 for the second time in program history after the 2005 team ended the year 7-1 on its way to its second-straight NEC tournament title and NCAA Tournament appearance.

next on tap... The Mountaineers will participate in the NEC Tournament Semifinals on Apr. 24.

in the month... The Mount is 68-54 all-time in the month of April. The squad is 37-19 at home, but just 31-35 away from Emmitsburg. In 2009, the squad is slated to play one match at home and four on the road.

preseason poll... The Mount St. Mary's women's lacrosse team was picked to finish fourth, according to the Northeast Conference (NEC) Preseason Coaches' Poll. Quinnipiac, the 2008 NEC regular season champions, garnered four first place votes to be tabbed as the preseason favorite. Monmouth picked up three first place votes to finish second and Sacred Heart, the 2008 NEC tournament champions, grabbed two first placed nods to place third in the poll while the Mount, Robert Morris, Long Island, Central Connecticut State, Wagner and Saint Francis (Pa.) rounded out the preseason poll.

i'm a two-sport award winner, recognize... Senior Brianna Gauthiewas named the NEC Rookie of the Week for the week of Apr. 6-12. It is the first women's lacrosse weekly honor for Gauthier after picking up two honors as a member of the Mount women's basketball team. Gauthier, a 5-7 senior midfielder, now has the unique distinction of being named NEC Player of the Week in women's basketball and NEC Rookie of the Week in women's lacrosse in the same season. The senior led the Mount to a pair of victories in the week after fueling the Mountaineers with six goals – both game-winners - three assists, eight ground balls, four caused turnovers and one draw control. Since her first match against Hofstra on Mar. 18 and already ranks fifth on the team with nine goals and four assists.

getting recognized... Junior Ashley Johnson was named the NEC Player of the Week for the week of Feb. 18-22 after posting three goals and one assist against Lehigh on Feb. 22. Along with her hat trick, the junior dished out an assist on the game-tying goal with 1.5 seconds remaining regulation. It marks the 13th time dating back to the 1999 season a Mount player has been honored with the top weekly award. Freshman Brigid McTavish was named the NEC Defensive Player of the Week for the week of Mar. 23-29 after making five saves against Monmouth in a 10-9 win on Mar. 29. After starting the defensive weekly award in 2007, the Mountaineers have earned the NEC Defensive Player of the Week six times.

and they were streaking... Senior Katelyn Catanese has registered a point in 18-consecutive matches.

on the coaching charts... Head coach Denise Wescott currently ranks second in Mount history with 32 victories. Courtney Martinez Connor (2002-05) is the all-time leader with 35 wins. Wescott is the fifth head coach in program history and is in her fourth season in Emmitsburg.

turning the program around... After starting the first eight campaigns of women's lacrosse at the Mount with a 61-70 record, the Mount has posted a 63-45 overall mark and 37-9 record in the Northeast Conference since the start of the 2004 season. The squad has notched three winning seasons , three league regular season championships (2004, 2005, 2007) and two NCAA Division I tournament berths (2004, 2005) in that stretch.

catanese one of the greatest... Senior Katelyn Catanese, who owns the first (64, 2008) and fourth (51, 2007) single-season marks in program history, ranks second in program history in career goals with 163, 12 markers shy of Jen Stocker's (175, 1996-99) program record. Catanese ranks second in career points (188), 42 behind Stocker (230). In addition, the senior became the all-time leader in shots after registering five shots against Central Connecticut State on Apr. 3 and now has 403 career shots. She is also third in draw controls with 116, 32 draws from Jen Davison (148, 2003-06). She became the second player in program history with 100 goals, 100 ground balls and 100 draw controls. In addition, she ranks 20th in career assists (22).

waraksa going toward being the handoff queen... Senior Breana Waraksa had a breakout season last year, posting 18 goals and a program-record 39 assists. The senior ranks second on the program's all-time career assists list with 68, twohelpers away from former teammate Jenna Duffy's (70, 2004-07) all-time record. Waraksa established a new single-game record with six helpers against Central Connecticut State on Apr. 3. The previous mark was five assists, which was last accomplished by Nicole Di'Angelo against Manhattan on Apr. 1, 2005.

rossetti's next step... Senior Kathleen Rossetti broke out and posted 21 goals and 19 assists for 40 points as a junior after registering 24 tallies and 13 assists for 37 points in her first two seasons. The senior had 39 career assists to rank ninth in program history, four assists from passing Ashley Rusk (42, 1998-01) for eighth place. She also ranks sixth on the program's all-time draw control list with 97 and needs three draws to become the sixth player in program history with 100 draw controls. Rossetti cracked the Top-15 in goals with one marker against Saint Francis (Pa.) on Mar. 22 and now has 73 goals for her career, 14 away from the Top-10.

defense is a preas... Senior Caitlin Preas has been an anchor of the Mount's defense for three years. She also earned national recognition in her sophomore campaign by Womenslacrosse.com when she was named Player of the Week for the week of Apr. 9-15, 2007. It marked the first time in program history the Mount has earned national Player of the Week recognition. The junior became the first Mountaineer player to be recognized by Womenslacrosse.com since Kirby Day was named to the Honor Roll on May 3, 2005. Naomi Campano Radio (Apr. 25, 2005) and Katie Mason (May 3, 2004) also received Honor Roll recognition for Mount St. Mary's by Womenslacrosse.com. The senior notched a career-high two markers against Long Island on Mar. 20.

johnson and more johnson... Junior Ashley Johnson looks to continue where she left off in her sophomore campaign after posting 39 markers and seven assists for 46 points. The 39 goals were the 10th most in a single season in team history. Johnson ranks 11th on the all-time career goal list with 83 tallies, two goals from jumping into 10th place and ahead of Amy Harris (84, 1999-02) and four tallies from moving into ninth place ahead of Beth Fischer (86, 1997-00).

kearney a big draw... Junior Jackie Kearney cracked the program's Top-10 list in draw controls with two draws in the season opener against Lehigh. The junior currently is eighth place with 74 draws, four draws away from Leeann Robustelli (78, 2003-06) for seventh place. Kearney was named to the All-Northeast Conference second-team as a freshman.

the defensive sophomore... Sophomore Aly Jost was named to the All-Northeast Conference first team as a freshman after leading the team in ground balls (48) and caused turnovers (24) in 2008. Jost leads the team with 15 ground balls in 2009. Jost notched her first career goal against George Washington on Mar. 11 and dished out her first career assist against Central Connecticut State on Apr. 3.

career day to remember... Sophomore Kelly Taylor scored a career-high two goals, including the game-tying goal with 1.5 seconds remaining against Lehigh on Feb. 22. Sophomore Mary Kate Lavin tied a career-high with two goals against Towson and sophomore Erin Kelly recorded a personal-best nine stops against the Tigers. Senior Kathleen Rossetti tied her career high with six goals against Longwood on Mar. 7 and again against Long Island on Mar. 20. Freshman Brigid McTavish made a career-high 15 saves against George Washington on Mar. 11. Senior Katelyn Catanese tied her career high with six goals against Fairfield while senior Breana Waraksa matched her career high with three goals against Saint Francis (Pa.) on Mar. 22 and dished out a career and school-record six assists against Central Connecticut State on Apr. 3. Senior Caitlin Preas scored a career-high two markers while junior Emily Kirby tallied a personal-best two goals and two assists against Long Island on Mar. 20. Sophomore Lucy Pompa notched her first collegiate hat trick along with a career-high seven ground balls and six caused turnovers against Saint Francis (Pa.) while sophomore Nicole Price registered a career-best three tallies and an assist against the Red Flash. Senior Brianna Gauthier posted a career-best four goals and three assists against Wagner on Apr. 11 while freshman Jen Semler added a career-high two goals in the match.

my first time... Sophomore Aly Jost and junior Katie Bollinger each notched their first career goals this season on their first shot attempt. Jost found the twine for the first time in her collegiate career against George Washington on Mar. 11 and then Bollinger notched her first career tally on an 8-meter shot against Fairfield on Mar. 14. Jost then dished out her first career assist against Central Connecticut State on Apr. 3. Senior Brianna Gauthier notched her first career assist against Hofstra on Mar. 18 and then found the twine for the first time against Monmouth on Mar. 29. Sophomore Nicole Price recorded her first career goal against Saint Francis (Pa.) on Mar. 22 while freshman Meaghan Conlan also found the twine for the first time in her collegiate career in the match.

in their debut... Sophomore Nicole Price and freshmen Meaghan Conlan, Brigid McTavish and Jen Semler each made their collegiate debut against Lehigh on Feb. 22. McTavish was the only one in the starting lineup, registering 12 saves in 66 minutes while Semler notched her first collegiate goal and Conlan dished out her first career assist against the Mountain Hawks. Esther Rufolo made her collegiate debut against Towson, notching her first career goal and three draw controls. Senior Brianna Gauthier made her lacrosse debut against Hofstra, registering a shot, two ground balls, a draw control and a caused turnover.

local rivalry... Mount St. Mary's played two teams from the Baltimore-Washington metropolitan area this season. The Mount hosted Towson on Mar 1 for the first time since 2001 with the Tigers defeating the Mountaineers 15-8 to improve to 5-0 against Mount St. Mary's while George Washington downed the Mount on Mar. 11 to grab a 6-2 advantage, including defeating the Mountaineers in the last six tilts.

aye, aye captain... Seniors Katelyn Catanese, Kathleen Rossetti and Breana Waraksa have been named team captains for the 2009 campaign.

conference honors... The Mount returns four players that earned All-Northeast Conference recognition last season. Senior Katelyn Catanese earned All-NEC first-team honors for the second-straight season while junior Ashley Johnson and sophomore Aly Jost nabbed All-NEC first-team recognition for the first time in their career. Senior Caitlin Preas picked up an All-NEC second-team nod.

the new single-season goal and assist champions of the nec... Seniors Katelyn Catanese and Breana Waraksa both set a new school record for goals and assists, respectively, but also set the new standard for the Northeast Conference. Catanese broke Jen Stocker's (56, 1997) single-season mark in program history and then also established a new NEC record with 64 tallies, breaking Monmouth's Heather Bryan's (60, 2000) old mark. Waraksa shattered Jenna Duffy's (27, 2007) assist record and ended with a program record and league record 39 assists.

the mount royal blood line... Freshman goalkeeper Brigid McTavish is related to one of the best Mount St. Mary's men's basketball player in program history. McTavish's grandfather is Jack Sullivan, the Mount's men's basketball all-time leading scorer with 2,672 career points.

in my father's eyes... Freshman attacker Keli Berkman looks to make her mark in Emmitsburg, but her father, Jim, is a legendary Division III head coach. Jim has coached Salisbury to over 300 wins and eight NCAA Division II National Championships. Berkman is redshirting this season.

from one sport to another... Senior Brianna Gauthier will join the Mount women's lacrosse team after the Mountaineers women's basketball season is over. Gauthier is a four-year letterwinner on the women's basketball team and became the 24th player in program history to reach 1,000 points for her career against Fairleigh Dickinson on Feb. 7. Sophomore Nicole Price is also making the switch from basketball to lacrosse after playing on the Mount St. Mary's women's basketball team last season as a freshman. Junior Kim Karpinski is in her second year with the women's lacrosse team and is also a member of the Mount women's soccer team.

high school teammates in college... Junior local products Katie Bollinger and Sydney Sykes played together on the Winters Mill defense in Westminster, Md. In addition, Senior Katelyn Catanese and sophomore Kristin Jones played together at St. Anthony's and sophomore Kelly Taylor and Aly Jost played together at Bel Air.

the local crew... Mount St. Mary's has five players on its roster from Carroll County. Junior Katie Bollinger (Westminster, Md.), freshman Meaghan Conlan (Eldersburg, Md.), freshman Brigid McTavish (Mount Airy, Md.), sophomore Natalie Pickett (Finksburg, Md.) and junior Sydney Sykes (Westminster, Md.) all hail from the neighboring county.

new to the mountain... Mount St. Mary's head coach Denise Wescott has added five freshmen to the team this year along with two former women's basketball players. Senior Brianna Gauthier will join the squad after the women's basketball season has concluded and sophomore Nicole Price joined the team after playing women's basketball last year while freshman Keli Berkman (Salisbury, Md./James M. Bennett), Meaghan Conlan (Eldersburg, Md./Liberty), Stephanie Hilton (Poolesville, Md./Poolesville) and Esther Rufolo (Woodstock, Md./Chapelgate Christian Academy) will all join the team in 2009.

back at the mount... Jen Davison and Jane Karger both return to their alma mater as an assistant coach on Denise Wescott's staff in 2009. Davison served as an assistant coach at King's and Dickinson at the Division III level in the last two years while Karger returns joins the staff after graduating from the Mount last spring. Davison was only the second player in program history to tally 100 ground balls, caused turnovers and draw controls in her career. She ranks second in draw controls (148), third in caused turnovers (121) and 10th in ground balls (156). She earned All-Northeast Conference recognition in 2004 and 2005 to help the Mount to two NEC regular season and tournament titles and only berths in the NCAA Tournament. Davison was also named to the All-NEC second team as a senior. Karger finished her career ranking second in minutes played (2405) and fourth in saves (412). She helped the Mount to two Northeast Conference regular season titles (2005, 2007) and was a member of the 2005 NCAA Tournament team. Karger was named to the All-Tournament team in 2008 after notching a career-high 20 saves in the NEC Semifinals against Quinnipiac.

home sweet home, emmitsburg... Mount St. Mary's is 71-49 at home in its 14 seasons. In the past four campaigns, the Mount is 40-17 in Emmitsburg, including 25-3 against league opponents in that stretch. The Mount moved into the Waldron Family Stadium in 2006 and the squad is 12-9 in its new home.

all-time mark... Mount St. Mary's is 123-115 all-time in 14 seasons, including 72-49 at home, 48-60 on the road and 3-7 at a neutral site. The Mount is also 55-24 in the Northeast Conference play. The squad also boasts a 14-0 mark in the MAAC after winning the league in 1997 and 1998.