BALTIMORE — US Lacrosse is pleased to announce that more than 450 girls high school lacrosse players have been named US Lacrosse All-Americans and just over 1,700 girls have been named US Lacrosse Academic All-Americans for the 2009 season. The process is coordinated by the high school committee of the US Lacrosse Women’s Division Coaches Council. Players are nominated and presented to US Lacrosse by each of the 62 US Lacrosse chapters.

A US Lacrosse All-American is a player who exhibits superior skills and techniques as well as possesses exceptional game sense and knowledge of the game of lacrosse. A US Lacrosse All-American is considered one of the best players in the United States, while she also embodies excellent sportsmanship.

A US Lacrosse Academic All-American is a player who exhibits exemplary lacrosse skills and excellent sportsmanship on the field while also representing high standards of academic achievement in the classroom. Additionally, a US Lacrosse Academic All-American has left her mark by making significant contributions of service to the school or community.

For the first year ever, US Lacrosse instituted a provision with a focus on safety and sportsmanship. Players who are nominated for either All-American or Academic All-American recognition must accumulate a total of penalty points that is less than or equal to 25% of the total number of games played during that season. For each yellow card that a player receives during the season, that player is assigned one "penalty point". For each red card, a player is assigned two "penalty points". If a player exceeds that number of "penalty points" she will not be eligible for All-American or Academic All-American recognition.

• Click here to access the full All-America listing.

• Click here to access the full Academic All-America listing.

About US Lacrosse
US Lacrosse, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation, is the national governing body for men’s and women’s lacrosse. US Lacrosse has more than 300,000 members in 62 regional chapters around the country. Through responsive and effective leadership, US Lacrosse strives to provide programs and services to inspire participation while protecting the integrity of the game. To learn more about US Lacrosse, please visit www.uslacrosse.org.