Bucknell University Athletics
Buechel, DeLorenz Earn Women's Lax First Team All-Patriot League Honors, Braun Named to Second Team
4/21/2009 8:00:00 AM | Women's Lacrosse
April 21, 2009
LEWISBURG, Pa. - Bucknell senior Bonnie Buechel (South Orange, N.J./Columbia) earned women's lacrosse All-Patriot League honors for the fourth year in a row, while sophomores Alyssa DeLorenz (Garland, Texas/Plano East) and Julia Braun (Tomkins Cove, N.Y./North Rockland) garnered their first all-conference selections on Tuesday. Buechel and DeLorenz were named to the All-Patriot League First Team, and Braun was a second-team pick.
Buechel earned first-team all-conference honors as a freshman, sophomore and senior and second-team accolades as a junior. She joins all-time scoring leader Suzanne Raffaele and standout goalie Nicole Kallis - both from the Class of 2003 - as Bucknell's only four-time all-conference selections in women's lacrosse.
Her latest all-league citation is well-deserved, as she is nearing the end of another all-around terrific season. Buechel has 36 goals, tying her career high, along with six assists for 42 points. She leads the team in ground balls (42), draw controls (40) and caused turnovers (28), and ranks among the Patriot League leaders in all of those categories.
Entering this week's Patriot League Tournament, Buechel ranks fourth in the Patriot League in goals, second in game-winning goals (4), third in draw controls and third in caused turnovers.
Buechel entered her senior season as the Bucknell season and career record-holder for draw controls. She also ranks fifth in program history in career goals (121), eighth in career assists (38), fifth in career points (159), fourth in career ground balls (132) and second in caused turnovers (76).
Buechel has played in all 63 games over the last four seasons, and she has at least one point in 60 of those 63 contests, including her last 21 in a row. This season she has three or more goals seven times and three or more points 10 times. She had a six-point game with five goals and an assist against St. Bonaventure. She also played a starring role in Bucknell's key 12-11 league win over Holy Cross, when she came up with a big steal and scored the game-winning goal in the final minute of regulation.
DeLorenz was a four-time Patriot League Goalie of the Week during the 2009 season, including three straight weeks back in March. The sophomore has started every game over the last two seasons, and this year her numbers are improved across the board. DeLorenz has a 9-7 record with a .491 save percentage and 10.66 goals-against average. She ranks second in the Patriot League in saves per game (10.1) and third in save percentage.
DeLorenz has made 10 or more saves nine times, including a personal-best 17 in an 8-7 win over Binghamton. She also had nine saves with only four goals against in an important league road win over American.
DeLorenz is Bucknell's first goalie to earn first-team all-conference honors since Kallis in 2003.
Like Buechel, Braun has excelled in all facets of the game this season. Offensively, the midfielder ranks third on the team in both goals (27) and points (31). She is also tied for the team ground ball lead with Buechel with 42 and ranks a close second to Buechel in draw controls (37) and caused turnovers (22).
Braun ranks fifth in the Patriot League in draw controls and first among conference games. She has scored a goal in 13 straight games and has a goal in 15 of 16 contests this season. Braun had three goals and two assists for a season-high five points against St. Bonaventure, and she also had three-goal games against Wagner and Duquesne.
Also named to the All-Patriot League First Team were Navy's Erin Rawlick and Colgate's Brie Moran and Meghan Lawler at attack; Lehigh's Lauren Dykstra and Colgate's Colleen Bubnack and Courtney Miller at midfield; Colgate's Maddie Kearns, Lehigh's Sara Fudin and Navy's Caitlin Mandrin Hill at defender; and Lehigh's Inneke Carmola at the at-large position.
Joining Braun on the second team were American's Leslie Fischer, Colgate's Ashley Didio and Lehigh's Kelly Draper at attack; American's Amanda Makoid, Holy Cross' Meg O'Leary, Lehigh's Allison Thomas and Navy's Katrina Nietsch at midfield; American's Alyssa Romano, Holy Cross' Lisa Gagne and Lehigh's Leigh Ann Torcivia and Tess McGrath at defender; and Lehigh's Kelsy Ferris and Navy's Elaina Ponchione at goalie.
Bucknell finished in a three-way tie for second place in the Patriot League at 4-2 but will be the No. 4 seed at the Patriot League Tournament, which begins Friday at Colgate. The Bison will face top-seeded Colgate at 5 p.m. at Tyler's Field. No. 2 Lehigh and No. 3 Navy will meet earlier in the other semifinal, with the winners advancing to Sunday's championship game.
