Guilford Lands Three on All-ODAC Women’s Lacrosse Team

Greensboro, N.C. — Guilford College senior Mary Hutchins (West Lebanon, N.H./Lebanon) earned First Team All-Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) recognition according to a vote of the league’s head women’s lacrosse coaches Monday. Teammates Jordan Clodfelter (Adamant, Vt./Union-32) and Jenn Abelin (Somers, Conn./Somers) garnered Second Team All-ODAC honors. Guilford’s Carrie Ernst (Randolph, N.J./Randolph), Shelly Nogueira (East Calais, Vt./Union-32) and Erin Baker (Millersville, Md./Old Mill (Anne Arundel C.C.)) took home honorable mention all-league recognition.

Hutchins, a 5-8 midfielder, joins Julie Sullivan ’93 as Guilford’s lone two-time First Team All-ODAC selections. Hutchins led Guilford’s scorers for the fourth straight season with 58 points on 35 goals and 23 assists, also team highs. She ranks third among ODAC assists per game leaders (1.44) and is sixth in points per game (3.62) through games of April 28. Hutchins missed her school record for assists in a season by two and posted the fifth-highest season points total in Guilford history. Her team-leading 45 draw controls stand sixth all-time. Hutchins tallied a season-high eight points on four goals and four assists in Guilford’s April 9 win over Sweet Briar College, the fourth-highest point total in school history. She matched her career high with five assists, the Quakers’ second-best single-game total, versus Goucher College March 1.

Hutchins concluded her stellar career as the Quakers’ career scoring leader with 226 points in 63 matches. She ranks second all-time with 140 goals and holds Guilford standards for career assists (86) and draw controls (147). Hutchins was named the school’s Best Female Athlete for the 2007-08 school year according to a vote of the school’s athletic department staff. She earned second-team all-region honors in 2005 and 2006 and was a First Team All-ODAC pick in 2007. Hutchins leaves with five school records.

Clodfelter, a 5-4 senior attacker, joined Erin McNaught ’97 as Guilford’s three-time Second Team All-ODAC selections. Clodfelter finished second to Hutchins on the team’s scoring chart for the fourth straight season. She netted 47 points on 32 goals and 15 assists, all career bests. Her 15 assists stand ninth all-time at Guilford. Clodfelter scored five points on three separate occasions, including four-goal, one-assist efforts in victories over Methodist University (March 26) and Randolph-Macon College (April 5). She scored goals in all but two contests, with 12 multiple-goal games. Clodfelter stands second to Hutchins with 43 career assists and graduates ranked fourth among Guilford’s all-time scoring leaders (162) and fifth in goals (119).

Abelin, a 5-5 junior defender, earned Second Team All-ODAC honors after making the first-team unit in 2007. She led Guilford with 60 ground balls, the sixth-best total in Guilford history and one shy of her career high. Abelin’s 3.75 pickups per game stand second among ODAC leaders. She also paced the Quakers with 23 caused turnovers, the third-best total in school history, and contributed 19 points on 16 goals and three assists. Abelin scored a career-high five goals versus Goucher and picked up a personal-best eight ground balls versus Marymount University March 6. She climbed into second place among Guilford’s career caused turnovers leaders (59) and needs three takeaways to set the school record. Abelin also assumed fifth place on the Quakers’ all-time ground balls list (164).

Ernst, a 5-7 sophomore midfielder, scored a career-high 43 points on 31 goals and 12 assists. She placed third among Guilford leaders in each of the aforementioned categories and also contributed 38 ground balls and 27 draw controls. Ernst tallied goals in all but two contests and had career-high four-goal outings versus the University of the South (March 30) and Bridgewater College (April 13). She also had a career-best eight ground balls and caused four turnovers versus the University of the South. Through 32 career games, Ernst already ranks among the Quakers’ all-time leaders in points (79, 13th), assists (23, 7th) and caused turnovers (25, 10th).

Nogueira, a 5-4 sophomore midfielder, also enjoyed a career season with 31 points, which ranked fourth on the team. Her career-best 45 ground balls and 27 draw controls stood second on the club. She scored in 13 of 16 contests and twice netted a personal-best four goals. She had four tallies in the Quakers’ first win over Lynchburg College since 1992 and also scored four times in the Quakers’ ODAC Tournament quarterfinal loss to Randolph-Macon College. Nogueira also picked up a career-best six ground balls in the Randolph-Macon game.

Baker, a 5-9 junior defender in her first Guilford season, started all 16 games and contributed 32 ground balls and six caused turnovers. She also scored two goals and an assist and had 20 draw controls, which ranked fourth on the team. Baker scooped up career-high six ground balls versus Marymount and scored in victories over Methodist University (March 26) and Hollins University (April 19).

The six students helped fourth-year head coach Matthew Grosso’s team to a 9-7 overall record, which matched the school standard for wins in a season. The Quakers went 5-3 in conference play and earned their highest seed (4th) for the ODAC Tournament. Guilford’s season ended with a 15-14 loss to Randolph-Macon in the league quarterfinals April 23. The Quakers could return as many as 13 letter winners in 2009, including Abelin, Baker, Ernst and Nogueira.