Big South Announces 2018 Women's Lacrosse Annual Awards
CHARLOTTE, N.C. (www.BigSouthSports.com) – Winthrop senior attacker
Nicole Beatson (Skaneateles, N.Y.) and High Point senior midfielder
Erica Perrotta (Roseland, N.J.) have been voted the 2018 Big South Women’s Lacrosse Offensive Player of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year, respectively, by the Conference’s head coaches; it was announced today by the league office. HPU attacker
Abby Hormes (Fallston, Md.) was tabbed Freshman of the Year, while Panthers’ head coach
Lyndsey Boswell was voted Coach of the Year. In addition, the Big South’s sports information directors voted Campbell’s
Mackenzie Koeller (Cary, N.C.) as the women’s lacrosse Scholar-Athlete of the Year for the second consecutive season.
Beatson finished the regular-season as the Big South’s leading overall goal scorer with 75, three shy of the conference single-season record. The attacker also led the league in goals per game (4.41), points per game (5.47) and shots per game (8.18). She scored at least two or more goals in every conference match this season, including a seven-goal performance in Winthrop’s 20-13 win over Longwood in the league opener. She also handed out 18 assists and won 39 draw controls throughout the season and was named the Big South Offensive Player of the Week twice. The first Eagle to be voted Offensive Player of the Year since 2015 and the second overall, Beatson received four first-place votes and 15 points in the voting, just ahead of High Point’s
Brooke Stevens (two first place votes and 14 points).
Perrotta becomes the second straight Panther to win the Defensive Player of the Year honor. The first Big South player to be named to the Tewaaraton Award Watch List earlier this season, Perrotta closed the regular season ranked second in the conference in caused turnovers per game (2.19) and tied for 10
th in ground balls per game (2.12) from her midfielder role. She became the first player in league history to win both the Offensive Player of the Week and the Defensive Player of the Week in the same season, as she garnered each award twice. Perrotta received five first-place votes and 17 points and finished ahead of Winthrop’s
Alania Girani (12 points, two first-place votes) and Longwood’s
Imani West (seven points, one first-place vote).
Hormes is the first-ever Panther to be voted Big South Freshman of the Year. She closed the regular season with 48 goals and 3.20 goals per game, which tied for fifth in the conference. On 10 difference occasions, the freshman scored three or more goals, headlined by a career-high six scores in a memorable home victory over nationally-ranked Duke. The attacker was named Big South Freshman of the Week four times in 2018, the most by any player in league history. Hormes finished with 13 points in the voting (six first-place votes) to edge out Gardner-Webb’s
Talen Francis (six points, one first-place vote) for the top freshman award.
Boswell led the Panthers to the outright Big South regular-season title for the second-straight year with a perfect 7-0 record as well as the league’s first-ever national ranking this season, as HPU has been ranked six consecutive weeks and as high as No. 17. She is now the first four-time winner of the Women’s Lacrosse Coach of the Year award, and has directed High Point to 14 straight regular-season Big South wins over the past two seasons. Boswell’s squad is 14-2 overall -- winners of 13 straight, and leads the Big South with an 8.18 goals against average. The Panthers held their league brethren to just 5.43 goals per game -- including two games with just two goals or fewer. HPU also leads the conference in overall goals (16.75), assists (8.06), points (24.44) and assists per game (7.69). In Big South competition, the Panthers averaged a league-high 18.71 goals per outing. High Point ranks in the top five nationally in six categories: free position percentage (58.0, first), caused turnovers per game (12.69, second), scoring margin (8.56, second), scoring defense (third), scoring offense (third) and points per game (fifth, 24.38).
The Big South also announced the 2018 All-Conference and All-Academic teams Thursday morning, which are listed below. The All-Conference team is voted by the head coaches and features two teams of three attackers, five midfielders, three defenders, one goalkeeper and three at-large selections, plus five honorable mention honorees regardless of position. The All-Academic Team consists of one student-athlete from each institution that meets the criteria and is nominated and selected by the league’s sports information directors.
2018 BIG SOUTH CONFERENCE WOMEN’S LACROSSE ALL-CONFERENCE TEAMS
FIRST-TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
ATT – Nicole Beatson, Sr., Winthrop
ATT – Brooke Stevens, Sr., High Point
ATT – Melissa Placek, Jr., Campbell
MF – Erica Perrotta, Sr., High Point
MF – Katherine Judge, Sr., Winthrop
MF – Samantha Herman, Jr., High Point
MF – Brianna McCaffrey, Jr., Liberty
MF – Callie Bonnel, Jr., Radford
D – Megan Reilly, Sr., Campbell
D – Olivia Nostrant, Sr., High Point
D – Meredith Chapman, Soph., High Point
GK – Alaina Girani, R-Jr., Winthrop
AL – Carly White, Soph., MF, Liberty
AL – Ashley Britton, Soph., MF, High Point
AL – Sam Carey, Soph., MF, Campbell
SECOND-TEAM ALL-CONFERENCE
ATT – Kayla Foster, Jr., Liberty
ATT – Riley Dolan, Sr., Longwood
ATT – Kristen Shriver, Sr., Winthrop
MF – Talen Francis, Fr., Gardner-Webb
MF – Molly Barkman, Soph., Longwood
MF – Juliette Ruland, Jr., Radford
MF – Abby Hanscom, Jr., Gardner-Webb
MF – Mia Toscano, Fr., Liberty
D – Lindsey McNamara, Sr., Liberty
D – Hollyn Royster, Sr., Longwood
D – Hayley Norris, R-Soph., High Point
GK - Imani West, Sr., Longwood
AL – Hudson Roarick, Jr., D, Presbyterian
AL – Abby Hormes, Fr., ATT, High Point
AL – Kayla Reilly, Sr., ATT, Campbell
HONORABLE MENTION ALL-CONFERENCE
Monique Martin, Sr., D, Gardner-Webb
Jill Rall, Soph., GK, High Point
Amanda Chasin, Jr., D, Campbell
Amanda Steinmuller, Sr., ATT, Gardner-Webb
(tie) Hannah Quast, Soph., MF, Liberty
(tie) Michaela Rich, R-Sr., ATT, Liberty
ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
Mackenzie Koeller, Sr., ATT, Campbell
Abby Hanscom, Jr., MF, Gardner-Webb
Brooke Stevens, Sr., ATT, High Point
Kayla Foster, Jr., ATT, Liberty
Dana Joss, Soph., MF, Longwood
Kelty Fletcher, Sr., ATT, Presbyterian College
Jenny Davis, Soph., GK, Radford
Jordyn Elliott, Sr., D/MF, Winthrop
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Nicole Beatson, Sr., ATT, Winthrop
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
Erica Perrotta, Sr., MF, High Point
FRESHMAN OF THE YEAR
Abby Hormes, ATT, High Point
COACH OF THE YEAR
Lyndsey Boswell, High Point
SCHOLAR-ATHLETE OF THE YEAR
Mackenzie Koeller, Sr., ATT, Campbell