MAAC Announces 2019 Women’s Lacrosse Major Awards
Fairfield, CT – The Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) has announced the 2019 Women’s Lacrosse All-MAAC and Major Award winners, as voted on by the league’s head coaches.
The 2019 MAAC Offensive Player of the Year is Nicole Ceraso of Monmouth University. Entering the 2019 MAAC Women’s Lacrosse Championship, Ceraso led the league in points at 80, averaging 4.71 a game. The junior found the back of the net 37 times and had a league-leading 43 helpers, 12 more than that of second place. Those 43 helpers make up just shy of half of Monmouth’s 89 total assists as a team on the year. Thanks to Ceraso’s production, the Hawks led the league in scoring with 13.76 goals per game and enter the 2019 MAAC Women’s Lacrosse Championship as the No. 2 seed.
The 2019 MAAC Defender of the Year is Fairfield University’s Megan Beach. Beach collected 22 ground balls on the year, adding 14 caused turnovers. The senior captain was the leader of a defensive unit that caused a MAAC leading 10.56 turnovers per game. Beach played a major role in Fairfield going undefeated in conference play during the regular season, and will be a key factor in the Stags’ pursuit of a second-straight MAAC Championship.
The 2019 MAAC Midfielder of the Year is Rachel Mills of Monmouth University. Mills found the back of the net 33 times, with a season-high five coming against Canisius on April 13 in a 16-6 win. The junior collected 36 ground balls, 39 draw controls, and caused 21 turnovers, the tenth most in the MAAC, for a Hawks team that ranked second in the conference in caused turnovers per game.
The 2019 Goalkeeper of the Year is Sammy Horton of Siena College. Horton led the conference with a .516 save percentage, allowing 154 goals against with 164 saves over 16 games. The senior’s 164 saves were also a MAAC high, averaging 10.25 per game. Horton led a Saints defense that ranked second in the league in goals against average, giving up only 9.63 a game. The Saints’ goalkeeper made a season high 15 saves against the regular season champion Stags on April 15 and grabbed a season high 8 ground balls on March 30 against Manhattan.
The 2019 MAAC Rookie of the Year is Cassidy Burns of Manhattan College. Burns ranked fifth in the league and led all rookies with 22 assists, averaging 1.38 per game. The freshman recorded 14 goals in her first year, adding 16 ground balls, 27 draw controls, and three caused turnovers. In the 2019 MAAC Women’s Lacrosse first round, Burns scored once and added three helpers to bring her season totals up to 15 and 25, respectively.
The 2019 BSN Sports MAAC Coach of the Year is Katie McConnell of Manhattan College. In her third year at the helm, McConnell guided the Jaspers to an 11-6 overall record, going 6-2 in conference play and grabbing the No. 4 seed for the 2019 MAAC Women’s Lacrosse Championship. The 6-2 conference play record marked a drastic improvement from the 2-6 record the Jaspers suffered the previous two seasons, with the team making the postseason for the first time under McConnell. A Garden State native, McConnell’s team landed one player on the All-MAAC First Team, three on the All-MAAC Second Team, two on the All-MAAC Rookie Team, and collected the 2019 MAAC Rookie of the Year award from freshman standout Cassidy Burns.
The First Team All-MAAC list is comprised of student-athletes from Fairfield, Marist College, Monmouth, Niagara University, and Siena. At attack is Brooke Gallagher of Fairfield, Samantha Mehalick of Marist, Nicole Ceraso of Monmouth, and Rachael MacCheyne of Niagara. At midfield is Fairfield’s Kelly Horning, Monmouth’s Rachel Mills, and Siena’s Kerry Gerety. The First Team All-MAAC defense is composed of Fairfield’s Megan Beach, Manhattan’s Emma Kaishian, Monmouth’s Mackenzie Rendich, and Siena’s Therese Pitman. The First Team All-MAAC goalkeeper is Sammy Horton of Siena and the at-large position is claimed by Hailey Wagner of Marist.
| First Team All-MAAC |
| Position |
Player |
Institution |
| Attack |
Brooke Gallagher |
Fairfield |
| Attack |
Samantha Mehalick |
Marist |
| Attack |
Nicole Ceraso |
Monmouth |
| Attack |
Rachel MacCheyne |
Niagara |
| Midfield |
Kelly Horning |
Fairfield |
| Midfield |
Rachel Mills |
Monmouth |
| Midfield |
Kerry Gerety |
Siena |
| Defense |
Megan Beach |
Fairfield |
| Defense |
Emma Kaishian |
Manhattan |
| Defense |
Mackenzie Rendich |
Monmouth |
| Defense |
Therese Pitman |
Siena |
| At-Large |
Hailey Wagner |
Marist |
| Goalkeeper |
Sammy Horton |
Siena |
The Second Team All-MAAC has representatives from Canisius College, Fairfield, Iona College, Manhattan, Marist, Monmouth, Niagara, and Siena. On attack is Jourdan Roemer of Canisius, Molly Fitzpatrick of Manhattan, Caroline Crump of Niagara, and Nicole McNeely of Siena. At midfield is Jen Reininger of Canisius, Kathleen Hulseman of Fairfield, Caitlin Murphy of Manhattan, and Annie Brennan of Siena. On defense is Canisius’ Riley Lucarelli, Fairfield’s Maggie Reynolds, Iona’s Erin O’Donnell, Marist’s Annie Sheehy, and Niagara’s Lauren Paul. The Second Team All-MAAC Goalkeeper is Nikki Prestiano of Manhattan and the at-large selection is Monmouth’s Megan Hart.
| Second Team All-MAAC |
| Position |
Player |
Institution |
| Attack |
Jourdan Roemer |
Canisius |
| Attack |
Molly Fitzpatrick |
Manhattan |
| Attack |
Caroline Crump |
Niagara |
| Attack |
Nicole McNeely |
Siena |
| Midfield |
Jen Reininger |
Canisius |
| Midfield |
Kathleen Hulseman |
Fairfield |
| Midfield |
Caitlin Murphy |
Manhattan |
| Midfield |
Annie Brennan |
Siena |
| Defense |
Riley Lucarelli |
Canisius |
| Defense |
Maggie Reynolds |
Fairfield |
| Defense |
Erin O'Donnell |
Iona |
| Defense |
Annie Sheehy |
Marist |
| Defense |
Lauren Paul |
Niagara |
| At-Large |
Megan Hart |
Monmouth |
| Goalkeeper |
Nikki Prestiano |
Manhattan |
The MAAC All-Rookie team has selections from Canisius, Fairfield, Iona, Manhattan, Monmouth, Niagara, Quinnipiac, and Siena. Canisius is represented by Katie Smolensky and Fairfield is represented by Olivia Conquest and Caroline Mangan. Leah Marshal from Iona made the team, as well as Cassidy Burns and Grace Lipponer of Manhattan. Monmouth is represented by Alynne Abney and Niagara is represented by Jenna Brill and Mara Hathaway. Rounding out the MAAC All-Rookie Team is Gabby Beckett and Maddie Deegan of Quinnipiac and Kaitlyn Dowsett and Mary Soures of Siena.
| MAAC All-Rookie Team |
| Player |
Institution |
| Katie Smolensky |
Canisius |
| Olivia Conquest |
Fairfield |
| Caroline Mangan |
Fairfield |
| Leah Marshall |
Iona |
| Cassidy Burns |
Manhattan |
| Grace Lipponer |
Manhattan |
| Alynne Abney |
Monmouth |
| Jenna Brill |
Niagara |
| Mara Hathaway |
Niagara |
| Gabby Beckett |
Quinnipiac |
| Maddie Deegan |
Quinnipiac |
| Kaitlyn Dowsett |
Siena |
| Mary Soures |
Siena |
About the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference:
With 11 institutions strongly bound by the sound principles of quality and integrity in academics and excellence in athletics, the Metro Atlantic Athletic Conference (MAAC) is in its 38
th year of competition during the 2018-19 academic year. Current Conference members include: Canisius College, Fairfield University, Iona College, Manhattan College, Marist College, Monmouth University, Niagara University, Quinnipiac University, Rider University, Saint Peter’s University, and Siena College.