LORETTO, Pa. - Former Vermont women's lacrosse standout Sarah DeStefano '09 (Eliot, Maine) has been named an assistant women's lacrosse coach at Saint Francis (Pa.) University.

DeStefano finished her career with 60 points on 43 goals and 17 assists in 39 games with the Catamounts. She earned numerous academic awards for during her time at UVM, and was awarded the school's Russell O. Sunderland Memorial Trophy, given to athletes who have overcome obstacles to compete at a high level in athletics, at the 2009 Rally Awards.

DeStefano earned the Russell O. Sunderland Memorial Trophy after making a terrific comeback from knee injuries to become one of the top offensive players for the women's lacrosse team over the past two years. She was robbed of her freshman season after tearing her ACL in her left knee. She went through the work of rehab and came back ready to play for her sophomore season.

Five games into her sophomore year, she tore the PCL in her right knee and was sidelined for the rest of the season. DeStefano went through the rehab process again and returned as one of the leading scorers on the team. She finished her junior year with 25 points and 17 goals, including the game-winning tally with 1.8 seconds left to lift UVM past Albany for the Catamounts first-ever victory over the Great Danes.

DeStefano's play also bolstered Vermont's back-to-back appearances in the America East Championships. She finished her career at Vermont averaging a goal per game and went over the 50-point plateau.

DeStefano will assist head coach Steph Marcon with recruiting, travel, and compliance and day-to-day operations. She will also be helping with the Red Flash's attack. DeStefano, who earned a degree in history from UVM, is enrolled in SFU's certification program.

"I am thrilled to welcome Sarah to the Red Flash lacrosse family and am confident that she will bring our attack to the next level," said Marcon. "Sarah was a major contributor during her four years at Vermont and I know she will carry that success with her to our team. She was also a highly respected student-athlete during her time at Vermont which earned her the Russell O. Sunderland Memorial Trophy her senior year. I am excited for Sarah to begin working with our attackers and I am confident that with her experience and our team's depth we will continue to build on last year's success."

2009-08-25