Seven Named to IWLCA All-Region
Ithaca seniors Nikki Dahl and Tracy Rivas and St. John Fisher junior Taylor Hughes and senior Melissa Leonhard have been named to the Intercollegiate Women’s Lacrosse Coaches Association’s All-Empire Region First Team. Stevens Institute of Technology senior Spencer Waybright, sophomore Amanda Ingersoll and junior Kara Rafferty were named to the All-Boardwalk Region Team.
All-Region Teams
Dahl, a midfielder, led Ithaca in draw controls and ground balls with 68 and 37, respectively, this season. She ranked second on the squad with 48 points on 30 goals and 18 assists. Dahl also forced 21 turnovers in 2013, the second-most on the team.
Also a first-team selection in 2012, Rivas became Ithaca's all-time leading scorer in goals and points this season. She concluded her career with 184 goals and 67 assist for 251 points. Her assists rank fourth all-time. Rivas led the Bombers with 57 goals, the third-most single-season scores in program history, and chipped in 20 assists for 77 points. She added 35 ground balls, 13 draws and eight caused turnovers. Six of her goals were game-winners. Rivas, who was named to the E8 All-Tournament team Sunday, earned Empire 8 Player of the Year accolades for the second straight season.
Hughes leads Fisher with 82 points and 32 assists while trailing only Leonhard for goals, scoring 50 times in 2013. The juniors points and assists totals lead the Empire 8 while her 50 goals ranks fifth.
Leonhard earned tournament MVP honors after filling the stat sheet in both the 12-9 semifinal win over Nazareth College and the 11-8 championship game victory over top-seeded host Ithaca College. On the year, the senior leads the team in goals (58), draw controls (89), groundballs (51) and caused turnovers (26). Leonhard's draw control and groundball totals are tops in the Conference while her goals are second and caused turnovers rank fourth.
Waybright led the Ducks to their sixth-straight conference tournament appearance and seventh postseason appearance overall. She finished the year ranked second in the Empire 8 in points with 81, fifth in goals with 51, second in assists (30), sixth in draw controls (49), 16th in caused turnovers (16) and 22nd in ground balls (32). She earned all-conference accolades for the fourth-straight year, pocketing a first-team nod for the second time in her career (2012, 2013). Waybright scored 10 points in a game twice this season and notched at least one point in 17 of the team's 18 contests. She had at least two points in every game but one, tallying four points or more in 10 outings. One of the top two-way players in the history of the Stevens women's lacrosse program, Waybright recorded 49 draw controls, 32 ground balls and 16 caused turnovers, notching double-digits in all five major statistical categories for the third time in her career. Waybright will graduate sixth in the program record book in points with 224.
Ingersoll earned first-team All-Boardwalk honors after second-team IWLCA All-Region honors as a freshman. A first-team All-Empire8 honoree the last two seasons, Ingersoll led the Ducks in ground balls and caused turnovers, adding three points (one goal, two assists) to her line along with six draw controls. Ingersoll finished the season ranked fourth in the Empire 8 in ground balls (44) and third in caused turnovers (29). She notched at least one GB in every game but two, tallying a CT in each contest but three. Typically matched up against one of the oppositions top scoring threats, the second-year defender had multiple ground balls or caused turnovers in all games but two.
Rafferty also earned first-team all-conference honors to go along with her second-team All-Boardwalk distinction. She led the league and team in goals with 60 and was third in the Empire 8 points with 79. The junior was seventh in assists (19), fifth in draw controls (60) and 29th in ground balls. Rafferty had at least two points in every game this season and scored at least one goal in each contest as well. She tallied 10 points in the Ducks' win over FDU-Florham on March 6 and had four points or more 10 times. The Bayshore, N.Y. native eclipsed the 100-goal plateau this year and her single-season totals in goals and points will rank in the top-10 in Stevens history.
The IWLCA has honored 256 student-athletes in Division III with a selection on one of the all-region teams. These athletes are now eligible for inclusion on the IWLCA All-America teams to be announced May 9. The IWLCA will honor the all-Americans at the IWLCA All-American banquet on May 25 in King of Prussia, Pa.