ROCHESTER, NY — Senior forward Sarah Dagg of Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) has been chosen by the nation's coaches as the 2011 winner of the Laura Hurd Award, symbolic of the nation's best Division III women's ice hockey player. Dagg, a native of St. George, Ontario, has led her squad to a 25-1-2 record and a berth in this week's NCAA Division III Women's Ice Hockey Championship semifinals being played at RIT.

Dagg has 18 goals and 23 assists in 28 games to date this season and has recorded 153 career points, never missing a game in her four-year career. The ECAC West Player of the Year, Dagg repeated as a first team Reebok AHCA All-American this season in leading RIT to the ECAC West regular season and tournament titles.

Said RIT head coach Scott McDonald, "Sarah is the heart and soul of this team, and has been since her freshman year. She has those un-teachable qualities that make her a natural leader, a leader that was selected by her teammates to be captain before her sophomore year started. She brings an energy and work ethic to every practice and work out that is un-matched on this team. I think her numbers speak for themselves about how she performs on the ice, but what gets missed is how good she is at both ends of the ice. There is no question that Sarah is our top defensive player that I match up against everyone else's top offensive players.

"Off the ice might be more impressive because she has help bring our philanthropy and community service events to a new level. She is a class act on and off the ice. She comes to play hard every day, pushes herself and teammates to get better.

The award is named in honor of former Elmira College star Laura Hurd who died in a car accident shortly after graduation. Hurd was a four-time All-American who led Elmira to victory in the first NCAA Division III Women's Hockey Championships.

The runner-up for the 2011 Laura Hurd Award was Sophie LeClerc, a senior forward from Norwich University and Barre, VT.