IWLCA Announces 2018 Division I Players of the Year

The IWLCA has announced that four student-athletes have been selected as Positional Players of the Year and one has been named the Division I Player of the Year.

Sam Apuzzo led Boston College to an undefeated regular season (17-0), its seventh appearance in the NCAA Tournament and second consecutive NCAA Championship game appearance. She was named the ACC's Attacker of the Year, All-ACC First Team, and an IWLCA Northeast Region First-Team honoree. Apuzzo set a new program record for most goals in a single season (88), breaking the record she set in 2017. She also set a new program record for points in a single season and tied the program record for most assists with 41. Apuzzo shattered the old record for most draw controls in a single season with 163. On May 31, Apuzzo was named the 2018 recipient of the Tewaaraton Award, the first Boston College player to win the prestigious award.

After Colorado started the season 1-2, Julia Lisella stepped in the goal and helped the Buffs to a 13-4 record the rest of the season, which included a 9-1 mark in Pac-12 play to help the Buffs win the inaugural regular season conference title. Lisella led the Pac-12 in save percentage and was second in goals allowed. She recorded a career-high 17 saves against USC on March 16 and tallied 10 or more saves in eight games this season. Lisella was named to the Tewaaraton Award Top 25 and was a Pac-12 All-Tournament Team selection. She was also named to the All-Pac-12 First Team and the IWLCA All-West/Midwest Region First Team.

Marie McCool was named the 2018 ACC Midfielder of the Year and is two-time Tewaaraton Award finalist. The senior midfielder is also a two-time Honda Award nominee and a three-time IWLCA first-team All-American. She led North Carolina and set a new program mark in draw controls with a career-high 165 on the year. McCool led UNC in ground balls, caused turnovers, and game winning goals, while finishing third in assists and points. She is a three-time first-team All-ACC performer and is the reigning ACC Scholar-Athlete of the Year for women's lacrosse.

Elizabeth Miller’s stellar defensive play leads a Boston College defense that has allowed just 9.66 goals per game this season to rank in the nation's top 11 for total defense. BC has held 13 opponents to 10 or fewer goals and has limited opponents to single-digit goals in 10 games. Miller also anchored the BC defense that led the ACC in in ground balls (145) and caused turnovers (72) in league play as the Eagles played an aggressive defensive scheme. She is an All-ACC First Team honoree and was named the ACC Defender of the Year for 2018. Miller was a Tewaaraton Top 25 nominee in 2018 after earning second-team IWLCA All-American honors in 2018.