EMMITSBURG, Md. - Five members of the Mount St. Mary's women's lacrosse team were honored by the Northeast Conference (NEC) on Thursday. Ashley Johnson (Arvada, Colo./Arvada West), Aly Jost (Abingdon, Md./Bel Air) and Jackie Kearney (Baltimore, Md./Seton Keough) each earned a spot on the All-NEC first team while Esther Rufolo (Woodstock, Md./Chapelgate Christian Academy) nabbed recognition on the All-NEC second team. Freshman Jordan Certeza (Baltimore, Md./Baltimore Lutheran) was named to the All-Rookie team.

Johnson, a senior attacker, picked up her second All-NEC first-team recognition after also being named to the first team in 2008. The senior, who is also the current NEC co-Player of the Week, leads the team with 49 goals and 10 assists for 59 points. Johnson has 10 three-goal performances this season, including four straight and six in league play. She recorded a career-high seven goals to help the Mount rally from a six-goal deficit to down George Washington 15-14 in a double overtime thriller on Mar. 13. For her career, Johnson ranks fourth in goals (132), sixth in points (155) and sixth in shots (268).

Jost, a junior defender, earns her third-straight All-NEC first-team nod. The junior, who joins Katelyn Catanese as only the second player in program history to nab three All-NEC first team nods, ranked second on the team in caused turnovers (23), third in ground balls (33) and seventh in draw controls (13). In addition, she helped anchor the Mount's defense that posted a 9.48 goals against average. The 2009 NEC Defensive Player of the Year needs three caused turnovers to join the program's all-time career Top-10 list and current stands at 66 caused miscues.

Kearney, a senior midfielder, earns her second all-conference honor with her All-NEC first-team selection in 2010 after garnering second-team honors in 2007. The senior paced the team in caused turnovers (30) and ground balls (44) while ranking fourth in draw controls and also added 15 goals and seven assists for 22 points on the offensive side of the ball. The two-time NEC Defensive Player of the Week posted a career-high nine ground balls and six caused turnovers in a 13-3 win against Bryant on Apr. 11. The senior also notched her first two career hat tricks against George Washington and against Johns Hopkins on Apr. 13.

Rufolo, a sophomore midfielder, picks up her first career league honor with her All-NEC second-team selection. The sophomore leads the team with 46 draw controls while scooping up 17 ground balls and recording 10 caused turnovers. Offensively, she ranks fourth on the squad with 24 tallies and five assists for 29 points, including five hat tricks. Her 46 draw controls currently ranks as the sixth most in program history in a single season and she has 67 draws in her career to sit two draw controls away from cracking the Top-10. She grabbed a career-high seven draws against Howard on Feb. 22 and against Holy Cross on Mar. 3.

Certeza, a freshman attacker, was named to the inaugural All-Rookie team after ranking second on the team with 20 goals and 23 assists for 43 points. The two-time NEC Rookie of the Week dished out at least two assists in seven matches this season including a career-high four helpers against Howard and Central Connecticut State on Apr. 9. The freshman also posted six two-goal performances, including a career-high four tallies against Longwood on Mar. 13.

Mount St. Mary's is playing in its eighth-straight NEC Tournament and 12th overall. The Mount will face top-seed and host Sacred Heart on Friday. Match time is 12 p.m.