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Andrews named ACC’s top freshman

Notre Dame freshman midfielder Morgan Andrews, of Milford, garnered three separate honors, including her selection as the 2013 ACC Freshman of the Year. She also was named an All-ACC Second Team choice (one of just three rookies to make any of the three all-conference squads this season), and was part of the ACC All-Freshman Team.

Andrews is the 11th Notre Dame women’s soccer player to be named conference Freshman of the Year (covering the program’s membership in the Midwestern Collegiate and BIG EAST conferences), and the second in as many seasons following Roccaro’s selection as last year’s BIG EAST Rookie of the Year.

Andrews ranks second on the Fighting Irish roster this season with five goals, five assists, 15 points and 23 shots on goal, in addition to recording a team-high 59 total shots and three match-winning goals. Her most notable strike of the season came on Sept. 15, when she headed in the lone goal in Notre Dame’s 1-0 win at top-ranked North Carolina, the program’s first regular-season win over a No. 1 team since 1996.

JEFF LACOSTE

Redshirt-sophomore Jeff LaCoste, of Amherst, placed second at the Big South Cross Country Championship, following teammate Patrick Crawford across the finish line as HIgh Point University men’s cross country team recorded a runner-up finish on Saturday at Vista Links Golf Course in Buena Vista, Va.

It’s the second year in a row that High Point had the Big South individual champion.

HPU’s Paddy Grandinali placed 12th to earn All-Conference honors along with Crawford and LaCoste. The Panthers placed second with 48 points, just off nine-time defending champ Liberty’s 40.

“Patrick and Jeff both had great performances out here today,” HPU head coach Mike Esposito said. “We wanted them to break up Liberty’s top two guys and they more than did that. Everyone came out and executed through 7K, we just couldn’t quite finish. It’s hurts to be so close to the win but this team came out and gave it all today. There wasn’t much more we could have done.”

Crawford and LaCoste went out early with Liberty’s Caleb Edmonds and Josh MacDonald before Crawford pulled away.

Crawford stretched his lead throughout the race and LaCoste was able to separate from the Liberty contenders as well. Crawford finished in 25:32.28 to LaCoste’s 25:52.84. Liberty’s Jeremie Bourget ended up third in 26:02.35 followed by the Flames’ MacDonald in 26:13.63.

This performance for LaCoste came just two weeks after winning the Big South Conference Runner of the Week after recording his first collegiate victory. The Bishop Guertin High School grad won the Blue Ridge Open in Boone, N.C., on Oct. 18 with a time of 24:37 over the rugged 8K course.

HPU’s season continues with the NCAA Southeast Region Championship hosted by Virginia on Nov. 15. The Panthers will look for a top-10 finish in that meet after placing 17th last season.

TYLER FORD

Bentley University freshman Tyler Ford, of Amherst, punted his way to Northeast-10 Conference Special Teams Player of the Week following a 24-19 win over Southern Connecticut State University.

Ford punted five times for an average of 43.8 yards against the Owls, with a long of 52. It marked the fifth straight game he’s averaged at least 42, a stretch in which he’s raised his season norm from 32.5 to 38.1, third best in the NE-10.

HILLARY WILSON

Amherst native Hillary Wilson is one of five members of the Wheaton College women’s cross country

team named to the New England Women’s and Men’s Athletic Conference Academic All-Conference list.

This is the second such honor for Wilson, who boasts a 3.50 GPA as an anthropology major with a minor in English.

KENDRA BONCZAR

Saint Anselm College freshman Kendra Bonczar, of Milford, was named to the 2013 Northeast-10 All-Conference Third Team and All-Rookie Team.

Bonczar saw action in all 18 games this season, earning four starts. She tallied a team-high seven goals for 14 points. She has scored the game-winning goal on four different occasions, including 1-0 wins over Saint Michael’s, Southern New Hampshire and Stonehill.

Additionally, she was responsible for the score that lifted Saint Anselm to a 2-1 victory over Le Moyne on Senior Day. She was feted as NE-10 Rookie of the Week on Nov. 4.