IWLCA Players of the Week – May 10, 2022

The IWLCA has chosen eight student-athletes for the IWLCA Player of the Week awards for the week ending May 8, 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.

Offensive Player of the Week

Jamie Ortega – University of North Carolina

Named Attacker of the Year by the ACC for a second consecutive time in her career, Ortega led the undefeated No. 1 Tar Heels to a sixth consecutive ACC Championship Title, defeating No. 2 Boston College, 16-9, this past Saturday. Ortega was named tournament MVP after scoring nine points in the championship (four goals, five assists), while breaking the ACC’s career points record. Ortega also set a championship game record with five assists and matched the title game record with her nine points. The Tar Heels await their first opponent as they enter the NCAA DI Championship tournament as the top seed with a bye in the first round.

Defensive Player of the Week

Marge Donovan – Princeton University

Donovan set a new program record with 12 draw controls in No. 9 Princeton’s 19-9 win over No. 24 Yale to claim the Ivy League Tournament Championship. Donovan was named the Most Outstanding Player of the Ivy Tournament. Over the course of the weekend, she became the Princeton all-time leader in draw controls (204) and set a new single-season record for draws (102). For the weekend, she had 19 draw controls, five caused turnovers, five groundballs and an assist. Princeton will face Massachusetts this Friday in the first round of the NCAA Division I tournament.

Offensive Player of the Week

Lilly Leach – Stonehill College

Leach earned Most Outstanding Player honors for the NE10 Championships with a game-high four goals and 10 draw controls in the 13-12 win over Le Moyne. The sophomore midfielder finished the NE10 tournament with a team-high 11 goals, while adding 32 draw controls, four ground balls, and two caused turnovers over the three postseason contests. Leach also earned a spot on the All-Tournament Team. No. 5 Stonehill will enter as the top seed of the East Region of the NCAA Division II Tournament and will face Mercy College in the first round.  

Defensive Player of the Week

McKenzie Gaghan – East Stroudsburg University

Gaghan led the defensive charge for No. 6 East Stroudsburg, making more saves than goals allowed in the PSAC Semifinal win against Mercyhurst. Gaghan then went on to register 10 saves in the Warriors 15-12 victory over No. 4 West Chester to secure the PSAC Championship title. The Warriors climbed to No. 3 in the latest ILWomen/IWLCA Division II Poll and will host the NCAA Atlantic Regional Championship as the top seed, with a rematch against Mercyhurst on tap in the first round.

Offensive Player of the Week

Allie McGinty – William Smith College

McGinty was named the Liberty League Tournament's Most Outstanding Player, following a 14-point weekend. She scored five goals and added nine assists in two games for the No. 8 Herons. On Saturday, McGinty had a game-high eight points on one goal and seven assists. With her fifth assist of the day, McGinty broke William Smith's single-season assists record. On Sunday McGinty had four goals and two assists as the Herons knocked off No. 10 Ithaca to claim their sixth straight Liberty League title. With her fifth point of the game, she recorded her 100th career point. McGinty leads the Herons with 94 points on 37 goals and 57 assists. Ranked No. 9 in the latest ILWomen/IWLCA Division III Poll, the Herons will face No. 18 Messiah this Sunday in the first round of the NCAA Division III Women’s Lacrosse Championship.

Defensive Player of the Week

Meghan Lorenzen – Western Connecticut State University

Lorenzen registered a career high nine draw controls in the LEC Championship win over Plymouth State. The junior defender also added three caused turnovers while scooping up four ground balls. WestConn will face host SUNY Cortland in the first round of the NCAA Division III lacrosse championship beginning this Saturday. 

Offensive Player of the Week

Erica Odell – Benedictine College

In the NAIA National Championship win over No. 1 Lawrence Tech, Odell led the No. 5 Benedictine offense with four goals. Two days prior, she registered two goals in a close 15-14 semifinal win over Savannah College of Art and Design. The Ravens finished the season 16-1 overall and claimed their first NAIA title.

Defensive Player of the Week

Anabelle Acluche – Lawrence Technological University

Named to the NAIA National All-Tournament Team, Acluche closed out the season with an impressive tournament performance. The sophomore goalie finished with 23 saves and added 14 ground balls over three rounds of contests. Acluche finished with a 9.67 goals against average and a 48.9 save percentage for the week. LTU finished the season 17-1 overall and were the national runners-up in the NAIA.