SAC Announces Women’s Lacrosse Award Winners
Award winners from the inaugural SAC women’s lacrosse season were announced on Wednesday, led by Newberry midfielder KerriAnn Barlage and Queens attacker Jena Ready, the conference’s co-Players of the Year.
ROCK HILL, S.C. – Award winners from the inaugural SAC women's lacrosse season were announced on Wednesday, led by Newberry midfielder KerriAnn Barlage and Queens attacker Jena Ready, the conference's co-Players of the Year.
Barlage and Ready ranked second and third in the SAC, respectively with 48 and 47 goals during the regular season. Barlage's 58 total points were the league's third-most, and Ready's 53 were fifth.
Ready's Queens squad won the SAC regular-season title with a 6-0 conference record, while Barlage led Newberry to a third-place conference finish at 4-2.
Ready is accompanied as an All-SAC First Team attacker by Queens' Abigail Paulus, Lenoir-Rhyne's Lauren Donovan and Newberry's Noelle Allen. Donovan led the conference in goals with 49 and points with 70, Allen was the league's sixth-leading goal scorer with 37, and Paulus – who was also voted as the SAC Freshman of the Year - ranked fourth in points with 55.
Joining Barlage as first-team midfielders are Queens' Brittany Larranaga and Lenoir-Rhyne's Claire Wach and Hayley Beattie. Wach leads the SAC with 22 assists and 68 draw controls, Beattie is 11th with 31 draw controls and 12th with 17 caused turnovers, and Larranaga ranks 10th in the conference with eight assists.
Forming the back line of the All-SAC First Team are Queens' Bridgette Larranaga, Akasha Kasper and Aarika Kaester, Lenoir-Rhyne's Jamie Ryan and Coker's Kaitlyn Kimball at defenders, and Catawba goalkeeper Bethany Davis.
Kimball is fifth in the SAC with 24 caused turnovers, Ryan is seventh with 40 ground balls, Kasper's 34 ground balls rank 11th, Larranaga's 14 caused turnovers are 16th, and Kaester's shooting percentage of 60.0 ranks eighth.
Davis led the SAC with 144 saves, ranked second with a save percentage of 47.5, and ranked third in goals-against average at 10.53.
Receiving All-SAC Second Team selections are Queens' Maggie Masters, Catawba's Alyssa Corace, Lenoir-Rhyne's Kelsie Swanson, Coker's Hayley Ferone and Wingate's Logan Bounds as attackers, Catawba's Ebony Mills, Queen's Brittany Barnwell and Coker's Mackenqie Baker as midfielders, and Newberry's Tricia Powell and Catawba's Kelsey Perusse and Kourtney Jones as defenders. Queens' Danielle Horoschak rounds out the team as its goalkeeper.
Forming the All-Conference Honorable Mention Team are attackers Meridith Jones of Catawba, Kim McConnery of Catawba and Allie Holland of Wingate, midfielders Victoria Thomas of Newberry, Laura Swanson of Wingate, Kaelin Evans of Wingate and Julia Gasston of Brevard, defenders Sydney Dishman of Queens, Rachel Hall of Lenoir-Rhyne, Erin Palma of Catawba and Leslie Valderramos of Wingate, and keepers Amanda Cotto of Lenoir-Rhyne and Mandy Lopez of Coker.
Following her team's SAC title and 11-4 overall record during the regular season, Queens' Julika Blakenship was chosen as the conference's Coach of the Year.
2014 SAC Women's Lacrosse Awards
Co-SAC Players of the Year: KerriAnn Barlage, Newberry/Jena Ready, Queens
SAC Freshman of the Year: Abigail Paulus, Queens
SAC Coach of the Year: Julika Blakenship, Queens
All-SAC First Team
A- Jena Ready, Queens
A- Abigail Paulus, Queens
A- Lauren Donovan, Lenoir-Rhyne
A- Noelle Allen, Newberry
MF- Claire Wach, Lenoir-Rhyne
MF- KerriAnn Barlage, Newberry
MF- Brittany Larranaga, Queens
MF- Hayley Beattie, Lenoir-Rhyne
D- Aarika Kaester, Queens
D- Bridgette Larranaga, Queens
D- Akasha Kasper, Queens
D- Jamie Ryan, Lenoir-Rhyne
D- Kaitlyn Kimball, Coker
GK- Bethany Davis, Catawba
All-SAC Second Team
A- Maggie Masters, Queens
A- Alyssa Corace, Catawba
A- Kelsie Swanson, Lenoir-Rhyne
A- Hayley Ferone, Coker
A- Logan Bounds, Wingate
MF- Ebony Mills, Catawba
MF- Brittany Barnwell, Queens
MF- Kelly Dowd, Queens
MF- Mackenzie Baker, Coker
D- Tricia Powell, Newberry
D- Kelsey Perusse, Catawba
D- Kourtney Jones, Catawba
GK- Danielle Horoschak, Queens
All-SAC Honorable Mention
A- Meredith Jones, Catawba
A- Kim McConnery, Catawba
A- Allie Holland, Wingate
MF- Victoria Thomas, Newberry
MF- Laura Swanson, Wingate
MF- Kaelin Evans, Wingate
MF- Julia Gasston, Brevard
D- Sydney Dishman, Queens
D- Rachel Hall, Lenoir-Rhyne
D- Erin Palma, Catawba
D- Leslie Valderramos, Wingate
GK- Amanda Cotto, Lenoir-Rhyne
GK- Mandy Lopez, Coker