Seven Maryland women’s lacrosse players were named Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association All-Americans Wednesday, the most in the program’s history.
Goalkeeper Megan Taylor, defender Julia Braig and midfielder Jen Giles all landed on the first team. Attacker and draw-control specialist Kali Hartshorn received a second-team nod. Defender Lizzie Colson, midfielder Erica Evans and attacker Caroline Steele rounded out the third team.
Taylor’s selection comes as no surprise. The four-year starter concluded her senior campaign by becoming the first goalie in women’s lacrosse history to win the Tewaaraton Award. After a midseason slump, the Glenelg native rebounded in a big way, notching 24 saves in the season’s final weekend, carrying the Terps to their 14th NCAA championship. It’s her third consecutive All-American acknowledgement.
[Read more: Maryland women’s lacrosse overcame its imperfections to win an NCAA title]
Braig led Maryland’s top-five defense, picking up her second consecutive Big Ten Defender of the Year award. Her 27 caused turnovers led the Terps.
She also managed to keep Boston College attacker Sam Apuzzo quiet in the national title game. Braig held the reigning Tewaaraton Award winner to 3-for-9 shooting, an uncharacteristically inefficient day for one of the nation’s best attackers. 2019 marks her second consecutive first team All-American nod.
Giles was no small part of Maryland’s national championship glory, as she led the Terps with 59 goals and ranked second with 23 assists. She also proved to be a leader of a senior-heavy roster, guiding the team through an undefeated regular season. Her efforts earned her a second consecutive first team acknowledgement.
[Read more: Maryland lacrosse’s Megan Taylor becomes first goalie to ever win Tewaaraton Award]
Hartshorn was crucial for Maryland both in the draw circle and on the offensive end. The junior topped 130 draw controls for the second consecutive season, snagging 137 in tandem with Colson. She also improved on last season’s scoring total, notching 48 goals, while setting a career-high in assists.
Colson tallied 127 draw controls, and led the Terps with 46 ground balls. The defender also scored a sublime solo goal against Penn State in the Big Ten tournament.
Evans started slowly as a graduate transfer, coming off an ACL tear that sidelined her for 18 months. However, she brought an extra kick of pace and creativity to Maryland’s already dominant midfield. In her lone season as a Terp, Evans tallied 59 goals on 57 percent shooting.
Steele struggled through some midseason injury struggles, but once again established herself as one of Maryland’s most important big-game players. She scored an overtime winner against North Carolina in mid-February — despite nursing an ankle injury — to keep Maryland’s undefeated season alive. The senior also picked the right moment to have a career night, as she scored seven goals against a fearsome Denver defense in the NCAA quarterfinal.
Five of Maryland’s seven All-Americans departed following the 2019 campaign. Thus, coach Cathy Reese will be looking to Hartshorn, Colson, and a wave of new talent to bring Maryland back to lacrosse’s biggest stage. But Maryland has weathered the loss of talent in the past, and have still made 11 straight Final Fours.
