After earning the majority of weekly conference accolades all season, the Maryland women’s lacrosse team continued its award-laden campaign, collecting five of six Big Ten season honors Monday.
Midfielder Zoe Stukenberg, defender Nadine Hadnagy and goalkeeper Megan Taylor were named Big Ten Player of the Year for their respective positions.
Midfielder Kali Hartshorn earned Big Ten Freshman of the year while coach Cathy Reese garnered coach of the year honors by unanimous decision as her team ended the season as the Big Ten regular season and conference champion, unbeaten at 19-0.
Reese and Taylor won their respective accolades for the second consecutive year.
Stukenberg’s 66 points are third-best on the squad. She has been one of the Terps’ best two-way players, scooping up a team-high 42 ground balls, causing 18 turnovers and earning conference offensive and defensive player of the week honors at different points of the season.
A team captain, Hadnagy is the centerpiece of Maryland’s defense and leads the team with 23 caused turnovers. She was one of just three defenders in the country nominated for the Tewaaraton Award.
Taylor, often referred to as the “backbone” of the defense, is third in the nation with a 54.9 save percentage and averages 10 saves per game. She set a career-high for saves in a game twice this year, posting 18 and 20 against then-No. 4 Syracuse and No. 3 Florida, respectively.
Hartshorn took over draw duties after three-time Tewaaraton winner Taylor Cummings graduated in 2016 and has led the team with 85 draw controls. She’s also scored 49 goals, the second-most on the team.
Taylor, Hadnagy, Stukenberg and attacker Megan Whittle were unanimous selections to the All-Big Ten team. Defender Julia Braig, midfielder Jen Giles and attacker Caroline Wannen also earned All-Big Ten honors. The Terps’ seven selections ranked highest in the the conference.
The Terps nearly swept the conference awards last season, winning all but freshman of the year. The only non-Terp to win this season was Penn State attacker Steph Lazo.
Coming off a victory in the Big Ten championship game on Sunday, the Terps earned the No. 1 overall seed in the NCAA tournament. They received a first-round bye and will host the winner of Towson and High Point on May 14.
