HAMILTON, N.Y. (10/10/07) - Seniors Jessica Van der Meulen (Liverpool, N.Y.) and Lindsay Pittard (Skaneateles, N.Y.) along with junior Ashley Didio (Syracuse, N.Y.) will serve as captains of the 2008 Colgate University women's lacrosse team, head coach Heather Bliss announced on Wednesday, Oct. 10. All three tri-captains were second-team all-Patriot League selections last season.

Van der Meulen finished third on the team in scoring last season with 29 points on 26 goals and three assists. Van der Meulen led Colgate with 26 draw controls last year, and posted 22 groundballs and 12 caused turnovers on the season. She has been a valuable offensive weapon for the Raiders throughout her career, and she enters her final season with 84 career points.

Pittard made an immediate impact on the Raider offense last season after battling injury for most of her early college career. In 2007, Pittard finished second on the team scoring chart with 39 points, including a team-high 14 assists. She had the best free-position conversion percentage on the team, scoring seven goals on her nine opportunities.

Didio is Colgate's top returning scorer, after she posted 42 points and a team-high 37 goals last season. As a freshman, she contributed 17 points on 14 goals and three assists after coming off the bench in 19 games. For her career, Didio has 35 groundballs, 24 draw controls, and 11 caused turnovers.

The Raiders open their 2008 season on Feb. 16 at Stony Brook.

2007-10-10