PSU Women’s Lacrosse and Softball players honored by Little East

           PLYMOUTH, N.H. - Two Plymouth State University student-athletes were recognized by the Little East Conference Monday for their efforts in the final week of their sport's regular season.

            Junior Kelsey MacDonald (Oak Bluffs, Mass.) was named LEC Women's Lacrosse Defensive Player of the Week, and freshman Kristen Abbott (Londonderry, N.H.) was selected the LEC Softball Rookie of the Week.  MacDonald is honored by the LEC for the third time this season, while Abbott receives her first LEC accolade.

A 5'3" midfielder, MacDonald (right) finished PSU's 2-0 week with 13 ground balls, eight draw controls and five caused turnovers. She collected three ground balls and two draw controls in a key 11-10 non-conference win Tuesday at Springfield, and tallied 10 ground balls, six draw controls, and five caused turnovers in a 16-7 win Saturday at Bridgewater State. She also collected six goals on the week, including four goals and the game-winner in the key regional battle at Springfield.

The 2005 LEC Offensive Player of the Year, MacDonald has received the top LEC Weekly Defensive honor twice this season and the top LEC Offensive honor once. She leads the conference and ranks 10th in the nation in Division III in draw controls (4.21 per game) and she also ranks 10th in the nation in ground balls (5.21 per game).

A freshman outfielder, Abbott (left) batted .556 (10-for-18) in PSU's 4-4 week, recording four walks (.636 on-base percentage), two doubles, a home run, three RBI and four runs scored. She went 0-for-2 with two walks in the doubleheader loss at Southern Maine; 3-for-4 with a double in the doubleheader win over Johnson State; 3-for-5 with a home run and three RBI in the doubleheader sweep of UMass Boston, and finished the week 4-for-7 with a double in the doubleheader loss at Eastern Conn. She hit a three-run walk-off home run in the bottom of the fifth inning Saturday as PSU pulled ahead of UMass Boston 10-1 and won the game on the mercy rule.

One of six Panther freshmen who were part-time or full-time starters this spring, Abbott finished the season with a .273 batting average, fifth-best on the team. She played in 23 of PSU's 33 games, starting 21, and collecting two doubles, a home run, five runs scored and two stolen bases.

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