NORTHBOROUGH, Mass. – A region-best eight players from the fifth-ranked Salisbury University women's lacrosse team were picked for the 2024 Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association (IWLCA) All-Chesapeake Region teams,
announced by the organization on Friday afternoon.
Five of the eight selections were honored on the All-Chesapeake Region First Team. Seniors
Madeline Davis,
Mary Hanzsche, and
Leah Vilov as well as graduate student
Kaitlyn Hunsinger and junior
Natalie Held landed on the first team. It is the second time that Hunsinger, Davis, and Held were tabbed as All-Region players.
Hunsinger, Davis, and Held all were part of the formidable Salisbury group that ranked 17th in the nation in scoring defense, which limited opponents to 7.83 goals per game. The SU defense also held opponents to single-digit goal totals in 12 of its 17 games.
Held, who was named the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference (C2C) Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight year, recorded career-highs in draw controls (69), ground balls (46), and caused turnovers (34).
Davis sits second on the team in ground balls (30) and caused turnovers (27) while Hunsinger tallied 93 saves and holds a 7.73 goals-against average, which is good for 10th in the country. Hunsinger's .470 save percentage ranks 49th in Division III.
Vilov put together a career year in the midfield during her senior season. Vilov paces the Sea Gull offense and ranks fifth in the C2C with a team-high 44 goals. Vilov totaled 50 points and added 20 ground balls, 15 caused turnovers, and 11 draw controls.
Hanzsche built on a solid junior season with an even better senior year to rank fourth in the conference with 30 assists. Hanzsche also ranked eighth in the C2C with 57 points.
Seniors
Camryn Pepper and
Meridith Price, as well as graduate student
Erin Scannell, capped off the All-Region honorees for Salisbury with spots on the Chesapeake Region Second Team.
Pepper leads the Sea Gulls and ranks in the top five in the conference in both assists and points. Pepper notched 33 points and 61 points, ranking second and fourth in the C2C in those categories, respectively. She also added 28 goals, which is good for fourth on the team.
Scannell earns her third All-Region honor and becomes the fourth Sea Gull to collect three or more All-Region awards in a career. Scannell sits third in scoring (31) and fourth in points (41) so far in 2024 and moved into second in program history in career goals (173) with a first-quarter strike against Cabrini in the team's opening tournament matchup.
Price, who shined in the midfield for the Sea Gulls, logged 24 points on 12 goals and 12 assists. She also is second on the team with 49 draw controls with 17 ground balls and 15 caused turnovers.
The Sea Gulls will open the regional semifinal round of the NCAA Tournament against the 15th-ranked Babson Beavers on Saturday. The opening draw at Sea Gull Stadium is set for 10:30 a.m. with tickets available online.
Salisbury University is a proud member of NCAA Division III with primary membership in the Coast-to-Coast Athletic Conference, along with the New Jersey Athletic Conference for football and men's and women's swimming, and the Coastal Lacrosse Conference for men's lacrosse. With over 500 student-athletes in 21 varsity sports, SU is recognized as one of the most competitive intercollegiate athletics programs regardless of division, featuring dedicated coaches and staff that foster excellence on and off the field. The Sea Gulls have celebrated 23 team national championships, 24 individual national champions, 199 conference championships, and 45 Academic All-Americans.
To Make Tomorrow Yours at Salisbury University, and learn more about Sea Gull Athletics' tradition of excellence, visit www.SUSeaGulls.com or follow on social media @SUSeaGulls.
