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Dorn Nets Defensive Player of the Year, Bobcats Place Eight on All-Conference Carolinas Teams

Nov. 2, 2012. HIGH POINT, N.C. — Senior Mary Dorn (Shallotte, N.C.) was named Conference Carolinas Defensive Player of the Year on Thursday, as the Lees-McRae College women’s soccer team placed a program-record eight players on the all-Conference Carolinas teams.

Lees-McRae paced the conference with eight all-conference selections, including three on the first team. Queens University of Charlotte was second with five, followed by Limestone College with four and Belmont Abbey College with three.

Dorn led the way for the Bobcats with her third straight first-team selection, becoming just the third player in program history to earn a spot on the all-conference first team three years in a row. The senior defender also claimed the league’s inaugural defensive player of the year honors, and was joined on the first team by freshman forward Sarah Mahar (Jacksonville, Fla.) and junior midfielder Kaitlyn Kerrigan (Lakewood Ranch, Fla.).

MaryBeth Sullivan (Greensboro, N.C.) garnered all-conference honors for the third straight season, earning a spot on the second team alongside senior midfielder Emily Jones (Leonardtown, Md.). The Bobcats also placed three on the third team, as freshman Mallory Overholt (Grand Bend, Ontario, Canada), sophomore Ariana Smith (Jackson, N.J.), and junior LeeAnn Sullivan (Greensboro, N.C.) each earned their first career all-conference honors.

#7 Mary Dorn – Senior Defender – Shallotte, N.C.

Defensive Player of the Year

All-Conference Carolinas First Team

Dorn led the Bobcats to their second consecutive regular season league title this fall, directing the backline to four clean sheets in conference play while recording two goals and one assist. The senior defender has helped Lees-McRae record 27 shutouts in her career, including 12 clean sheets last season to lead the Bobcats to the program’s first-ever Conference Carolinas Tournament title and the school’s first berth in the NCAA Tournament.

#20 Sarah Mahar – Freshman Forward – Jacksonville, Fla.

All-Conference Carolinas First Team

Mahar put together an outstanding freshman campaign with the Bobcats, scoring a team-high six goals in the regular season to earn a spot on the all-conference first team. A native of Jacksonville, Fla., Mahar posted perhaps the best performance of her young career this past Monday, pouring in her first collegiate hat trick in the “Blizzard Bowl” against King College in the opening round of the conference tournament.

#13 Kaitlyn Kerrigan – Junior Midfielder – Lakewood Ranch, Fla.

All-Conference Carolinas First Team

Kerrigan capped a strong regular season with her first career all-conference nod, earning a spot on the first team after leading the league with six assists in conference play. A native of Lakewood Ranch, Fla., Kerrigan also tallied three goals against league opponents, including a pair of match-winners against Barton College and Mount Olive College.

#15 MaryBeth Sullivan – Junior Forward – Greensboro, N.C.

All-Conference Carolinas Second Team

MaryBeth Sullivan enjoyed a stellar junior campaign with the Bobcats this fall, posting two goals and four assists in league play. The Greensboro, N.C. native provided several key assists this season in the attacking third, setting up a trio of match-winners, including both goals in a 2-0 win over Coker on September 29.

#17 Emily Jones – Senior Midfielder – Leonardtown, Md.

All-Conference Carolinas Second Team

Jones garnered all-conference honors for the first time in her career Thursday, earning a spot on the second team after posting two goals and one assist in league play this season. A native of Leonardtown, Md., Jones recorded perhaps her best performance of the campaign at Erskine on October 4, breaking the deadlock in the 27th minute before assisting on Mahar’s 56th-minute winner in the Bobcats’ 4-2 victory.

#33 Mallory Overholt – Freshman Midfielder – Grand Bend, Ontario, Canada

All-Conference Carolinas Third Team

Overholt put together an impressive first season with the Bobcats this fall, recording one goal and three assists in league play en route to her first career all-conference selection. The Grand Bend, Ontario, Canada native posted a pair of assists in the Bobcats’ 3-1 win over Barton on October 20, setting up Kerrigan’s winner and Erica Allen’s (Norton, Ohio) late insurance strike in the 62nd and 65th minutes.

#10 Ariana Smith – Sophomore Defender – Jackson, N.J.

All-Conference Carolinas Third Team

Smith followed her strong end to last season with an even better campaign this fall, helping the Bobcat backline keep four clean sheets in league play. The sophomore defender provided a consistent presence in the back for Lees-McRae this season, partnering with Dorn to lead the backline to five shutouts in all competitions as the Bobcats allowed just eight goals against league opponents.

#3 LeeAnn Sullivan – Junior Defender – Greensboro, N.C.

All-Conference Carolinas Third Team

LeeAnn Sullivan put together a sensational junior season this fall with the Bobcats, playing all but 21 minutes at left back while recording her first career goal. The Greensboro, N.C. native found the back of the net for the first time in her career on October 6 against Pfeiffer University, putting the Bobcats up 2-0 less than a minute into the second half en route to a 5-0 win on Homecoming.