title: Descriptive characteristics of NCAA Division I women lacrosse players.
abstract: The purpose of this investigation was to describe anthropometric and physical performance characteristics of Division I college female lacrosse players. An additional aim of the study was to examine positional differences in this sample of athletes. Eighty-four university lacrosse players (age=19.8+/-1.1 years; height=168.3+/-5.9 cm; body mass=64.7+/-6.9 kg) volunteered to participate and were evaluated at the end of their off-season. Test items included standing height, body mass, linear sprint speed (9.14-36.58 m), agility (pro-agility and Illinois), countermovement jump height and the 20 Meter Shuttle Run Test (MSRT). Standing height was different between positions, pairwise comparisons indicating that attackers were taller than defenders (p=0.029). No other dependent variable differed between positions. Homogeneity between positions for women's lacrosse players indicates that the tests used do not have a high discriminatory value or could reflect the lack of development of positional specificity due to relatively minimal playing experience by participants. Although positional distinctions were not observed in this study, quartiles and ranges provide evidence that performance in female lacrosse players varies markedly.
authors.affiliation: Human Performance Laboratory, Department of Kinesiology, University of Connecticut, 2095 Hillside Road, Unit 1110, Storrs, CT 06269-1110, USA. JASON.VESCOVI@uconn.edu
authors.forename: Jason D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Vescovi
authors.forename: Todd D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Brown
authors.forename: Teena M
authors.initials: TM
authors.lastname: Murray
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000886:Anthropometry; D001835:Body Weight; D015331:Cohort Studies; D005080:Exercise Test; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009048:Motor Skills; D010809:Physical Fitness; D015865:Racquet Sports; D012016:Reference Values; D012420:Running; D013334:Students; D014481:United States