Clark Is Player of the Year, Again

Harvard Co-Captain Ceci Clark may want to start investing in extra shelf-space. With all the trophies and plaques she's winning, she's going to need it.

The Mather senior picked up her second Ivy League Player of the Year honor Friday for her outstanding performance on the women's lacrosse team's defensive unit.

Earlier this season, Clark picked up the same award for leading the field hockey squad to Ivy and ECAC titles, as well as its first NCAA berth.

Clark has few of the flashy statistics some of her teammates do, but her primary assets is a famed on-field intensity, a work ethic that led her to pick up 50 ground balls this season (best for Harvard).

"She's really been the anchor of our team," Coach Carole Kleinfelder said. "She might have had one bad game all season. Other than that she's been consistent, a team leader. I know she's not flashy. I know attack players get more stats. But even if you ask the team who the best player is, the consensus would be Ceci Clark."

Clark was also a unanimous selection to the All-Ivy first team.

It Could Have Been Anyone:If Clark had not been named player of the year, the Ivy coaches would not have had to look far for another honoree.

The coaches could have just as easily picked Harvard's other standout players: junior attacker Liz Bakery, or Co-Captain Sarah Leery, both of whom were unanimous selections to the first team. Bakery, who garnered first team honors last year, led the league in overall (45 goals, 8 assists) and Ivy (21 goals, 3 assists) scoring. Leary, making her third appearance on the first team, was the league's top goaltender.

Harvard also placed two sophomores on the first team, Mather residents Sarah Downing and Francie Walton.

Probably the only surprise about the all-Ivy squad was the absence of senior Buffy Hansen from the first team. "I thought Buffy could have gotten something more this year. She shows more than just scoring. She's all over the field," Kleinfelder said.

Hansen was voted to the second team along with senior Becky Gaffney.

An Ivy Final Four:Virginia and Princeton will join Maryland and Harvard at the Final four this weekend after they knocked off two squads from Pennsylvania.

The Cavaliers slammed Penn State, 11-4, in Charlottesville, Va., while the Tigers upset Temple, 11-6, in Philadelphia, Penn.

Harvard will now face Princeton Saturday, while Virginia meets Maryland.

The Crimson, which has not lost a game to Princeton in 10 years (including a 1989 NCAA semi-final contest), crushed the then-first ranked Tigers, 13-2 at Ohiri Field earlier this year.

But Kleinfelder doesn't expect the Tigers to roll over so easily this time around.

"That game [earlier this year] threw me for a loop. I expected more from Princeton," the coach said. "I don't think we're going to see a score like that in this matchup. They're a young team. But they shouldn't be young anymore. The should have gotten that out their system by now." All-Ivy Women's Lax Team

First team

Attack--Liz Berkery, Harvard

Attack--Gillian Thompson, Priceton

Attack--Maranne Bocock, Dartmouth

Attack--Tina Hennessey, Cornell

Attack--Brenda Shaw, Pennsylvania

Attack--Sarah Downing, Harvard

Defense--Ceci Clark, Harvard

Defense--Katie Thurlow, Princeton

Defense--Diane Tormey, Cornell

Defense--Tracy Hagan, dartmouth

Defense--Francie Walton, Harvard

Goal--Sarah Leary, Harvard

Player of the Year

Ceci Clark, Harvard

Rookie of the Year

Lauren Holleran, Dartmouth