EUGENE, Ore. – After completing the most successful season in its short history, the Oregon women’s lacrosse team announced its 2008 team awards last week.

The Ducks ended the year with a third-place finish at the Mountain Pacific Sports Federation Tournament and a 13-7 overall record, the most victories in program history. Oregon was also ranked in the nation’s top 20 for six consecutive weeks during the season, another first for the program.

For the second year in a row, senior midfielder Jen May and redshirt junior goalkeeper Anna Poponyak shared Team MVP honors. This is the fourth consecutive year that May has received team MVP honors, and in addition, she was recently named a Third Team All-American by WomensLacrosse.com.

May has received a number of awards since the Ducks’ 2008 season ended last month. She became the first product of the Oregon lacrosse program to be named to the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association West/Midwest all-region first team. It was her second year receiving the recognition, as she was named to the second team in 2007.

The Davidsonville, Md., native earned her fourth straight all-Mountain Pacific Sports Federation selection this season as well – the first and only player in Oregon history to be named to the MPSF all-conference team each of her four seasons. May finished the season with 51 points, scoring 37 goals and adding 14 assists. In addition, the starting midfielder led the team in draw controls (51), ground balls (48) and caused turnovers (31).

She leaves the Ducks as the all-time leader in five statistical categories; points (188), goals (128), draw controls (209), ground balls (162) and caused turnovers (142).

May’s accolades don’t only pertain to the field. She is a three-time MPSF all-academic honoree, and was recently named to the ESPN The Magazine Academic All-District VIII team.

Poponyak started all 20 games for Oregon in between the pipes, finishing the year with a 12-7 record. She played the most minutes in goal for any keeper in Oregon program history, and helped the Ducks set a new program record with a 9.81 team goals against average. The Encinitas, Calif., native finished the season making 140 saves (fourth in the MPSF) and with a .439 save percentage (fourth in the MPSF). In addition, her 9.86 goals against average was third in the MPSF.

For the third year in a row, junior Casey Rector received the Pillar Award. The recognition is given to the student-athlete that most exemplifies the spirit of the Oregon lacrosse team. The Carlsbad, Calif., native continued to be an impact player off the bench for the Ducks, appearing in all 20 games. She finished the year with 14 goals and added four assists. She was second on the team with a .519 shooting percentage, and in addition won 21 draw controls with seven ground balls and three caused turnovers.

Senior midfielder Jenny Browne was awarded the Grinder Award, given to the team’s hardest worker. Browne played in all 20 games during 2008, and made four starts. The native of Sandwich, Mass., scored 19 goals and added six assists, but saved her best for last. Browne was named to the 2008 MPSF all-tournament team after scoring seven goals and adding one assist over the three-game span. Browne put away five goals in a semifinal loss to Denver.

Freshman Alex Breiner received the Rookie of the Year Award. The 5-foot-9 midfielder received the most playing time of any Oregon freshman, playing in all 20 games and making three starts. At the end of the season, she was named the Tri-MPSF Newcomer of the Year along with Denver’s Tulley Stapp and Stanford’s Karen Nesbitt after finishing the year with 22 goals and five assists. Her 27 points were sixth on the team but tops for underclassmen on the roster. In addition, Breiner’s 27 draw controls were second on the team.

Sophomore midfielder Erin Chisnell was named Most Improved. She was the only underclassmen on Oregon’s roster to start the majority of the Ducks’ games in 2008, making 18 starts in 19 appearances. The Owings Mills, Md., native played a significant role as part of Oregon’s midfield, helping the team transition from defense to offense. She ended the year with 12 goals and three assists, and on the defensive end, finished third on the roster with 29 ground balls, while also winning 24 draw controls and causing 16 turnovers.

Oregon also announced its captains for 2008-09, which includes three players from the 2009 class, defender Cara Mead, midfielder Alicia Burkhart and Poponyak. Chisnell will also serve as a team captain.