Trio of UVM Women's Hockey Players Earn Academic All-America Honors

BURLINGTON, Vt. - Senior Jenny Agnew (Sabattus, Maine), junior Lindsey Neilson (Stowe, Vt.) and sophomore Kami Cote (Copperton, Utah), members of the University of Vermont women's hockey team, were named to the American Women's Hockey Coaches Association (AWHCA) Division I Academic All-America Team.

To be eligible for the All-America Team, student-athletes were required to post a 3.20 cumulative GPA and played in at least 50% of the team's contests this season.

Agnew, a two-time ECAC All-Academic Team selection, led the team in scoring as a freshman, finishing with 20 points.  She posted a 3.55 GPA as a nutrition major at Vermont.  A co-captain this season, she finished the 2002-2003 season as the team's leading scorer and finished sixth among the all-time scoring leaders (38 points).  Agnew was one of 15 nominees nationwide for the 2003 Hockey Humanitarian Award.  The prestigious award recognizes "college hockey's finest citizen."  The Humanitarian award is open to any NCAA college hockey player, male or female, Division I-III, who best exemplifies personal character, a commitment to academics, and contributions to the community.

Neilson has been a solid defensemen for the Catamounts, bouncing back from an injury that kept her out of the lineup for the entire second half of the season last year, appearing in 24 games in 2002-2003.  She has developed into a strong leader on the team will be a key factor on Vermont's defensive unit next season.  An early childhood education major, Neilson owns a 3.74 GPA.  Neilson will enter her senior season having played in 62 games and has totaled seven points on one goal and six assists.

Cote played behind senior Tiffany Hayes (New Milford, Conn.) for the past two seasons, but has proven to be a reliable goaltender when given the opportunity.  In 2002-2003, Cote registered 324 saves in just over 480 minutes.  Cote earned a spot on the ECAC Weekly Honor roll after posting 144 saves in three games for the Catamounts in early January.  She earned a spot on the Purple Eagle Invitational All-Tournament Team after recording 50 and 42 saves in back-to-back games at Niagara. Cote also turned aside 52 shots in a loss to #10 ranked Mercyhurst.  She earned a spot on the team with a 3.69 GPA as a physical education major.

 "This is a well deserved honor for Jenny, Lindsey and Kami.  I am very proud to have the opportunity to coach these ladies. They are tremendous student-athletes on and off the ice.  This honor is also a great recognition of the UVM women's hockey program," head coach Dennis Miller said.

Vermont finished its second season at the Division I level with a record of 3-25-2 overall, earning its first-ever Division I victories with wins over Boston College and North Dakota.