Of the four positions on the field, the Maryland women’s lacrosse team won the nation’s top award in three of them.
The Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association crowned Tewaaraton Award winner Zoe Stukenberg midfielder of the year, fellow Tewaaraton finalist Nadine Hadnagy defensive player of the year and sophomore Megan Taylor goalkeeper of the year.
Stony Brook’s Kylie Ohlmiller, who won attacker of the year, was the only non-Terp to earn a Division I WLCA honor.
Stukenberg was named the nation’s best player Thursday for her efforts as the team’s engine in the midfield. The senior co-captain finished in the team’s top three players for six different statistical categories, notching a career high in each.
She departs as the ninth-highest goal scorer in program history. She was the sixth straight and eighth overall Terp to win the Tewaaraton.
Hadnagy’s exploits don’t often appear in the box score, but she is widely considered one of the nation’s premier one-on-one defenders. Usually tasked with defending the opposition’s best attacker, the senior co-captain anchored a top-20 scoring defense.
Coach Cathy Reese stressed the team aspect of the backline, but throughout the season she repeatedly said it starts with Hadnagy.
In addition, most Terps said they believed Taylor was the best goalkeeper in the country.
Taylor finished third in the nation in save percentage (53.5), averaging nearly 10 saves per game. She saved 18 shots against Syracuse and 20 against Florida, who were both ranked in the top four at the time.
With the standout performances of their three stars, the Terps went undefeated for the first time since 2001 and won their third national title in four years.
