Monday, November 9, 2009

Rising To The Top...

The NCAA announced its statistical leaders Monday and it is official:
- Sarah Hagen leads the nation with 24 goals and 1.200 per game.
- Kate Megna leads the nation with 16 assists and 0.84 per game.

Hagen is also third in the country with 53 points and with a 2.65 point-per-game average.

As the season progresses, the pair gives Milwaukee a chance at its first national statistical champion in women's soccer.

Hagen has scored one more goal than any other player in Division I, but the NCAA bases champions on per game averages. There, her lead is 0.033 over Portland's Danielle Foxhaven (21 goals, 18 games - 1.167 per game).

For Megna, the gap is wider. She has one more assist than second place, but in two less games. Her average of 0.84 is 0.12 better than that of James Madison's Teresa Rynier (15 assists, 21 games - 0.72 per game).

Since 1998, no team in NCAA Division I women's soccer has had the No. 1 goal scorer and No. 1 assist player in the same season.

The Panthers have posted recent statistical champions in baseball and men's soccer. Mike Goetz led the nation in batting average for the baseball team in 2005, while Grant Fernstrum topped the charts in goals against average in 2005.