COLLEGE PARK, Md. – Six members of the Maryland women's lacrosse team were named IWLCA All-Americans, as announced by the Intercollegiate Women's Lacrosse Coaches Association Thursday.
Senior attacker Megan Whittle, junior defender Julia Braig and junior midfielder Jen Giles earned spots on the first team. Junior attacker Caroline Steele was named to the second team and junior goalkeeper Megan Taylor and sophomore defender Lizzie Colson were selected to the third team. Five of the six Terps made the IWLCA All-South Region First Team, while all six earned All-Region honors.
These six players, half of Maryland's starting lineup for the 2018 season, led the Terps to a 20-2 record. The Terps reached their 10th consecutive Final Four and won both the Big Ten Regular Season and Tournament Titles.
Maryland has the most All-American honorees of any school this season with six and is tied with Boston College for the most first team selections with three. The six honorees are the most for Maryland since 2015 and match a program-best.
Whittle, who capped off a sensational Terrapin career this past season, has been named an IWLCA All-American in each of her four years in College Park with this being her second First Team All-American nod (2016). Whittle became the program's all-time leading goal scorer this season, finishing her career with 298 goals, the second-most in NCAA history. The senior's 84 goals this season are the second-most in a single-season ever by a Terp. Beyond her 84 goals, the most in the Big Ten, Whittle also tallied 15 assists, 42 draw controls, 18 groundballs and 10 draw controls. Named one of five Tewaaraton finalists, Whittle scored over three goals in all but five games this season. Whittle was also named the Big Ten Attacker of the Year and the Big Ten Tournament MVP, after scoring eight goals in the championship against Penn State.
Braig, the 2018 Big Ten Defensive Player of the Year, was the leader of Maryland's Big Ten leading defense, allowing just 9.91 goals per game. Often defending the other team's best player, limiting their scoring opportunities, Braig totaled 29 groundballs and 15 caused turnovers this past season. The Reisterstown, Md. native was named to the All-Big Ten Team, a Tewaaraton top-25 nominee and to the All-Big Ten Tournament team.
Giles made an impact all over the field in her junior season, as she led the team in assists (31), was second in points (83) and groundballs (38), while ranking third in goals (52). Giles often stepped up in the seasons biggest moments. In the NCAA Quarterfinals against #7 Navy, Giles led the Terps with seven points on a career-best four goals and three assists, serving as a sparkplug in the Terps comeback efforts to reach the programs 10th straight Final Four. In the Big Ten Regular Season Championship game against #7 Northwestern, Giles led the team with six points, while recording four goals to pace the potent Maryland offense. The Ellicott City, Md. native was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team for the second year in a row as well as the All-Big Ten team.
Steele helped pace the seventh ranked Maryland offense, ranking second on the team with 51 goals, while also recording 20 assists. A tenacious goal scorer, Steele had two seven point games this season, against #8 Syracuse and in the Big Ten Tournament Semifinals against #23 Johns Hopkins. The junior ranked top-ten in the conference in goals, assists, points and free position percentage. Steele was also named a First Team All-Big Team honoree this season and named to the All-Big Ten Tournament Team.
Colson stepped into a starting role on the young Maryland defense and instantly made an impact, leading Maryland with 23 caused turnovers and 39 groundballs, while ranking second in draw controls with 91. The All-Big Ten selection has had numerous big efforts this season, including both games against Johns Hopkins, where the sophomore has totaled 13 draw controls and four caused turnovers. Colson led the Big Ten with four Defensive Player of the Week nods while also making the All-Big Ten Tournament Team.
Taylor had another sensational year in goal, winning the Big Ten Goaltender of the Year award for the third-straight year of her three-year career. The junior tallied 189 saves on a .477 percentage while leading the conference with a 9.94 goals against average. Constantly facing top offenses, Taylor helped the Terps hold half their opponents they played this season under 10 goals. Taylor had a knack for coming up huge in the biggest moments, notching 13 saves against #7 Navy in the NCAA Quarterfinals, including many on point blank shots in the second half. One of the premier goaltenders in the nation, Taylor was named to the NCAA All-Tournament Team and a Tewaaraton top-25 finalist as well as being the Big Ten Goaltender of the Year. This is Taylor's second All-American nod, after the Glenelg, Md. native was named a First Team All-American and the IWLCA National Goalie of the Year last season.
The Terps have had 172 All-Americans in the program's history.
– Maryland –
