Feb. 17, 2007

EVANSTON, Ill. -- The same four Wildcats that were named Preseason All-Americans by Inside Lacrosse had their names added to the 2007 Preseason Tewaaraton Trophy Watch list. Among them are last year's Tewaaraton winner Kristen Kjellman along with teammates Aly Josephs, Lindsay Finocchiaro and Meredith Frank.

The four for the Wildcats is the most of any team.

The list of players are considered early season indicators of who to watch as the 2007 lacrosse season begins. This list will be voted upon by coaches and narrowed as the season progresses, ultimately reaching a final list of five women who constitute the award's finalists.

Kjellman returns as the odds-on favorite to win the award in 2007. She will attempt to become the first player, male or female, to win the award in consecutive seasons.

One of the quickest attackers in the country, Josephs, a 2006 Third-Team All-American, is back after scoring 55 goals last season and was the only Wildcat to score at least one goal in all 21 games in 2006.

Frank, the 2006 ALC Rookie of the Year, led Northwestern with five game-winning goals last season and finished fifth on the team with 75 points (32 g, 19 a) as a freshman.

Finocchiaro was a second-team All-American last season from her defender position. In 2005 she was the womenslacrosse.com Unsung Hero of the Year. She helped anchor a defense that allowed just 7.9 goals per game, seventh-best in the nation in 2006.

Women's Preseason Nominees:

Berger, Kelly -- James Madison
Byers, Jillian -- Notre Dame
Cipro, Renee -- Penn State
Clipp, Becky -- Maryland
Cook, Jenn -- North Carolina
Doolittle, Katie -- Maryland
Douthett, Whitney -- Dartmouth
Fabian, Shannon -- CW Post
Falcone, Amber -- North Carolina
Farrell, Courtney -- Cornell
Finocchiaro, Lindsay -- Northwestern
Fortune, Gaddy -- Syracuse
Frank, Meredith -- Northwestern
Friend, Mandy -- Richmond
Harkins, Hilary -- UC Davis
Hordy, Kristen -- North Carolina
Jester, Leigh -- Duke
Josephs, Aly -- Northwestern
Kasper, Kelly -- Maryland
Key, Mary -- Johns Hopkins
Kjellman, Kristen -- Northwestern
Koch, Maggiev -- Georgetown
Leggio, Kristy -- Denver
Lewis-Lamonica, Katie -- Princeton
Lieb, Jessi -- Penn State
Lopez, Lauren -- Adelphi
McHarg, Kate -- Loyola
McKinney, Caitlin -- Notre Dame
Sanford, Rachel -- Duke
Shane, Laura -- Stanford
Stanwick, Coco -- Georgetown
Waagbo, Kristen -- Duke
Weymouth, Blair -- Virginia
Witzel, Shannon -- Towson