IWLCA Players of the Week – May 3, 2022

The IWLCA has chosen seven student-athletes for the IWLCA Player of the Week awards for the week ending May 1, 2022. This weekly award recognizes the best offensive and defensive performances by players in Division I, II, III, and the NAIA each week during the regular season.

Co-Offensive Player of the Week

Eloise Clevenger – University of Maryland

Clevenger guided the No. 4 Terps to an outright Big Ten title with a career-high six points (four goals, two assists) in the 13-8 win at No. 21 Michigan. The four goals marked a career-high for Clevenger, scoring them on only six shots for a .667 shooting percentage. She led the team in goals, assists, and points, while also adding a groundball to the stat line. In this week’s ILWomen / IWLCA Division I Poll, Maryland moved up to a No. 3 ranking and looks ahead to the Big Ten tournament this Friday. 

Co-Offensive Player of the Week

Gabby Fornia – Vanderbilt University

Fornia set school and AAC records with 10 assists and 13 points in the Commodores’ 23-7 win against Cincinnati, clinching a spot in the AAC Championship. Fornia assisted on five consecutive Vanderbilt goals between the first and second quarters as part of a 7-0 run that gave the Commodores a 12-3 lead. Her 10 assists were one shy of the NCAA single-game record. Fornia finished the regular season with 23 goals and a league-leading 53 assists for 76 points. Vanderbilt will enter as the third seed of the AAC Championship and will face the No. 2 seed Temple this Thursday.

Defensive Player of the Week

Emily Sterling – University of Maryland

Sterling had a phenomenal game in cage to lead the No. 4 Terps to an outright Big Ten regular-season title, defeating No. 21 Michigan, 13-8, this past Saturday. Sterling recorded 12 saves to only eight goals allowed, a .600 save percentage and lead the defensive effort that held Michigan to only eight goals on 24 shots. This was Sterling's seventh straight game stopping over 50% of shots faced and the fifth time in the last six games with double-digit saves. Sterling has tallied nine-plus saves in each Big Ten game this season and finished conference play with a remarkable .626 save percentage. The junior currently leads the nation with a .567 save percentage and 7.59 goals-against average. She has also held 13 of 16 opponents to under 10 goals. 

Offensive Player of the Week

Sophie Conroy – Grand Valley State University

Conroy led the No. 7 Lakers to a 23-2 victory over Northern Michigan and a 16-8 GLIAC Championship victory over Davenport this week. The senior attacker led the 18-1 Lakers with 10 goals this week, scoring five goals apiece in each of this week’s victories. Conroy also dished out five assists, scoring 15 points for the Lakers across both games. Conroy also finished with all of her shots on goal and grabbed four ground balls for GVSU. She’s now scored five or more goals on five separate occasions this year and has netted 62 goals this season.

Defensive Player of the Week

Molly Bursinger – Grand Valley State University

Bursinger helped guide the No. 7 Lakers to a 23-2 victory over Northern Michigan on Friday and a 16-8 GLIAC Championship win over the Davenport Panthers on Sunday. The junior midfielder netted four goals and dished out six assists, scoring 10 points for the 18-1 Lakers. Bursinger also caused five turnovers, grabbed seven ground balls, and won 19 draw controls this week. She has now won 124 draw controls for the Lakers this season, breaking the single-season record for draw controls in the GVSU women's lacrosse program.

Offensive Player of the Week

Lizzy Escudero – Fairleigh Dickenson University (Florham)

Escudero rewrote the record books this week as she registered 13 goals and 24 assists for 37 points over a three-game span. Escudero’s offensive efforts led FDU-Florham to wins over Moravian, Delaware Valley and King’s. Escudero’s 16 points and 11 assists against King’s were the second most across any NCAA Division in a single game this season. This week, Escudero also broke FDU-Florham’s single game and single season records for points and assists. The junior currently ranks fourth in Division III with 127 points on the year. The Devils enter the MAC Freedom tournament as the top seed and will face the No. 4 seed Lycoming in a semifinal matchup on Wednesday.

Defensive Player of the Week

Rachel Rosenberg – Ithaca College

Rosenberg finished the week with 14 draw controls, seven groundballs, six caused turnovers, and one assist. She had six draws, three groundballs, and three caused turnovers against Hamilton in a midweek game. She then won eight draws with an assist, four groundballs and three caused turnovers against Skidmore. Rosenberg’s performance earned her Liberty League Defensive Performer of the Week. No. 10 Ithaca will begin postseason play with a matchup against Clarkson University this afternoon.

No NAIA selections were made this week due to no NAIA games this past week.