Four Garnet Women Earn Centennial Honors
OFFICIAL CENTENNIAL RELEASE (pdf)
Lancaster, PA - Swarthmore College women's soccer players Maggie DeLorme (Lusby, MD / Patuxent), Katie Kanuka (Oakville, Ontario / Holy Trinity Catholic), Caitlin Mullarkey (Wilmington, DE / Ursuline), and Lauren Walker (Fallston, MD / The Hotchkiss School) have been named to the 2006 All-Centennial Conference list. Kanuka and Mullarkey were first-team selections while DeLorme and Walker were named honorable mention, as elected by the conference head coaches.
Mullarkey, a sophomore defender, makes the first-team for the second consecutive season - the first Swarthmore soccer player to ever accomplish the feat. In 2005, she was named the first freshman Centennial defender to ever be elected to the first team All-Conference and continued to develop as one of the best defenders in the region this season. Mullarkey's speed and aggressive play led a Garnet defensive line that posted ten shutouts, tops in the conference.
Mullarkey, a chemistry and biology double-major, was also one of ten members on the All-Centennial list to also be named to the Centennial Conference Fall Academic Honor Roll which recognizes sophomores, juniors, and seniors who are key performers and have a 3.40 cumulative grade point average or higher.
Kanuka, a freshman forward, burst onto the Centennial soccer scene this year, leading the conference in points (35) and game-winning goals (nine) while tying for first with 16 goals. Kanuka continuously receiving accolades throughout the season - she was named to the D3kicks.com Team of the Week on Sept. 5 and then was selected as Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 17.
Kanuka is the 15th freshman to earn first-team honors, joining Mullarkey as the only Garnet soccer players in the elite group.
Walker, a sophomore goalkeeper, turned in a sensational year despite suffering a hand injury that forced her to the sideline for four weeks. Walker finished the 2006 season with the top goals-against average (0.326) in the conference with -13th in all of Division III - and was second with six shutouts. Additionally, she ranked 25th in the country and led the conference with a save percentage of .893. Walker was named Centennial Conference Defensive Player of the Week and ECAC Mid-Atlantic Goalkeeper of the Week on September 11 and concluded the regular season with a record of 8-0-1.
DeLorme, a freshman midfielder, made 15 starts for Swarthmore and finished tied for most assists (five) in the Centennial. DeLorme headed in the eventual game-winning goal sending Swarthmore to its first-ever Centennial playoff win 1-0 over Gettysburg on Nov. 3.
Swarthmore women's soccer team finished the regular season with an overall record of 13-3-1 and 7-3 in the Centennial, breaking school records for overall wins and Conference wins. The Garnet earned the third seed in Conference playoffs, defeated second-seed Gettysburg 1-0 in the semifinals on Nov.3 and went on to make its first-ever appearance in the Centennial Conference Championship game. Swarthmore currently stands at 14-4-1 overall and awaits word on a possible ECAC Championship berth.