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.

IWLCA Announces 2018 Division II 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 II Player of the Year.

Meghan O’Brien is a three-time IWLCA All-Region and All-American selection. She helped Florida Southern College to three-straight NCAA Division II Championship games, including a national title in 2016. As a senior, she scored 49 goals and tallied 49 assists. For her career, she scored 154 goals and tallied 124 assists. She is only the second player in Florida Southern history record 100 career goals and 100 career assists.

Hannah George is a two-time All-American who led Le Moyne College to a 22-1 record and the 2018 NCAA Championship, the first in the program’s history. The Northeast-10 Conference Goalkeeper of the Year for the second straight season, George set a Division II record with 22 victories between the pipes. The national leader in save percentage, George was selected the Northeast-10 Conference Championship’s Most Valuable Player and to the Northeast-10 All-Championship and NCAA All-Tournament teams.

Hunter Isnardi helped lead Mercy College to a 14-4 record and a top ten national ranking. The junior led the nation in goals, goals per game, draw controls per game and free position percentage, earning ECC Midfielder of the Year and ECAC Offensive Player of the Year honors. She surpassed her NCAA Division II single-season record in draw controls with 214 in 2018. Isnardi also led the team in ground balls and was tied for second in caused turnovers. The junior recorded her 200th career point against Molloy College on April 7th and is currently the school’s all-time leader in goals and points. She was first team IWLCA All-Region and All-American selection in 2017.

Kelly Gaffney led Le Moyne College to a 22-1 record and the 2018 NCAA Championship, the first in the program’s history. Gaffney led the Dolphins defensively with career highs of 55 ground balls and 40 caused turnovers. The Northeast-10 Conference Defensive Player of the Year, she was selected to the Northeast-10 Conference All-Conference First Team for the second straight year and to the Northeast-10 All-Championship and NCAA All-Tournament teams. Gaffney was a third team IWLCA All-Region selection in 2017, and this is her first All-American selection.

IWLCA Announces 2018 Division III 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 III Player of the Year.

Steph Colson was named All-America First Team, All-Metro Region First Team, and All-Centennial Conference First Team this season. She set a program and conference record for draw controls in a season with 140, including a program record 14 against Westfield State in the second round of the NCAA Tournament. Colson also led the Bullets in points (76, tied) and ground balls (53), while finishing second in goals (50), assists (26), and caused turnovers (25). The junior capped the season by being named Most Outstanding Performer of the NCAA Championship after leading Gettysburg to its second consecutive national title.

Zoe Ferguson, a two-time All-NESCAC First Teamer, owns the best save percentage in the conference at .532 and has an 8.59 goals against average (3rd in conference) with 189 saves (1st in conference) in 20 games and 1,158 minutes in goal. She was named as the NESCAC Player of the Week once this spring.  A four-year starter and tri-captain this spring, Ferguson was an IWLCA All-American Second Team and All-Berkshire Region First Team honoree in 2017, as well as an IWLCA All-Region First Team selection this spring.

Paige Moriarty is a three-time first team IWLCA All-American. She broke the Franklin & Marshall career points record this year and ended her career with 393 points. Moriarty also broke the assist record this year with 160. She was named the 2018 Centennial Conference Offensive Player of the Year and led Franklin & Marshall to two Final Four appearances. 

Elizabeth Morrison is a three-time All-American and the 2016 National Defensive Player of the Year. She has led the Lions defense that has led the country in scoring defense each of the last four years. Morrison was statistically dominant in 2018, leading the Lions in caused turnovers, ground balls, and draw controls. Morrison was named NJAC Defensive Player of the Year and was the only Division III player named to the 2018 Tewaaraton Award Preseason Watch List.