Oct. 3, 2011

NEWPORT NEWS, Va.- Lock Haven's Leslie Ahern tallied nine points in a week that saw her squad go 2-1, while Saint Joseph's Nicole Gerdes turned in the first multi-goal game of her career, earning each Atlantic 10 Field Hockey Player and Rookie of the week, respectively, as announced by the conference office.

Ahern had a sensational week and was the biggest component behind Lock Haven's 2-1 mark that included road wins against Saint Francis and Sacred Heart before falling Fairfield. The speedy senior forward scored the second goal in a 2-0 win at Saint Francis. Ahern followed that up with both goals in the 2-0 shutout of Sacred Heart on Saturday. The Getzville, N.Y., native's fourth goal of the week was her squad's only tally in a 2-1 loss to Fairfield.

Gerdes broke out in a major way on Sunday, scoring the first two goals of the game and adding an assist as the Hawks thumped Siena, 7-1. The freshman tipped a long shot past the keeper just over two minutes in for her first and then converted less than six minutes later to secure her first career multi-goal game. Gerdes also notched an assist on the final goal of the half as SJU took a 4-0 lead into the break. The Robbinsville, N.J., native's three goals on the year are good for second among rookies on the squad.

About the A-10
The Atlantic 10 Conference was formed in 1976, is currently comprised of 14 member institutions and sponsors 21 championship sports. The mission and goal of the Atlantic 10 is to preserve, protect, and enhance the academic and athletic pursuits of the membership. The conference is committed to integrity, educational excellence and providing quality equitable championship experiences for more than 6,000 student-athletes, coaches, and support staff. The member institutions of the Atlantic 10 are the University of Dayton, Duquesne University, Fordham University, The George Washington University, La Salle University, University of Massachusetts, University of North Carolina at Charlotte, University of Rhode Island, University of Richmond, St. Bonaventure University, Saint Joseph's University, Saint Louis University, Temple University, and Xavier University.