June 17, 2008
ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Navy women's lacrosse standout Meg Decker (Catonsville, Md.) has been selected as one of 83 student-athletes from across the country to participate in the U.S. Lacrosse Developmental and Elite team tryouts. From those two teams, the final roster for the U.S. women's national team that will compete in the 2009 World Cup will be determined.
The 83 players were selected from an original pool of approximately 220 that competed during the first round tryouts over Memorial Day weekend at the US Lacrosse Women's Division National Tournament at St. Paul's School in Brooklandville, Md. The final tryouts will be held from August 3-5 on the campus of the University of Maryland, Baltimore County.
Decker, a rising sophomore midfielder, enjoyed a sensational rookie campaign, ranking among the nation's leaders in goals, points, and draw controls. This latest achievement adds to an already impressive list of accolades for the first-year Midshipman, who was recently named to the WomensLacrosse.com All-Rookie All-America team. Decker, who was one of 16 rookies named to the squad, also had previously been named the LaxPower.com Rookie of the Year and was one of two Navy players to garner first-team All-Patriot League honors.
Decker ranked second on the team with 76 points, 63 goals, and 58 draw controls. A three-time honoree as Patriot League Rookie of the Week, she finished the season ranked 23rd in the country in points (76), 17th in points per game (4.47), sixth in goals per game (3.71), and 10th in draw controls per game (3.41). Among the country's freshmen, Decker was third in points, third in goals and first in draw controls.
The Catonsville, Md., native was a big reason why Navy owned the second-ranked scoring offense in the nation (16.7 goals per game), and paced all Division I squads in draw controls per game at 17.1, the second-highest average for a team in NCAA history over the course of a season. The Mids wrapped up their inaugural Division I campaign with a 13-4 mark, setting the NCAA record for most wins by a first-year program. Navy returns all but four seniors from this year's team in 2009, including eight of its top 10 scorers.
The U.S. Elite and Developmental teams represent the highest level of playing experience for women's lacrosse players and coaches in the United States. Sue Heether, a former All-American goalkeeper at Loyola and a member of three World Cup championship teams, coaches the Elite team while longtime Dartmouth head coach Amy Patton heads the Developmental squad. The 2009 International Federation of Women's Lacrosse Associations' World Cup will be held in Prague, Czech Republic, next summer.
