Eight Terps Selected to All-Big Ten Team
5/2/2019 12:58:00 PM | Women's Lacrosse
COLLEGE PARK, Md. – After finishing the regular season undefeated and winning the Big Ten with an undefeated 6-0 record, eight members of the No. 1 Maryland women's lacrosse team earned All-Big Ten honors Thursday.
Seniors Julia Braig, Jen Giles and Caroline Steele were all unanimous selections while graduate student Erica Evans, seniors Shelby Mercer and Megan Taylor and juniors Lizzie Colson and Kali Hartshorn also made the team.
Maryland's eight players were the most in the conference (next closest, Northwestern, had four) and tied for the most ever, with the Terps also securing eight honors in 2015. The Terps also have the most unanimous selections with three. The 21-person team features seven attackers, seven midfielders, six defenders and one goalkeeper.
Maryland has garnered 75 all-conference honorees in head coach Cathy Reese's 12 seasons. This is the third time that each of Braig, Giles and Taylor have made the All-Big Ten Team. It is the second straight year that both Colson and Steele are named to the team, while Evans, Hartshorn and Mercer are all first time selections.
Braig leads Maryland's tenacious defense, which is second in the country, holding opponents to just 7.24 goals per game. Defending the opponents best player, Braig has been key to holding 12 opponents to under 10 goals and seven opponents to under five goals. The reigning Big Ten Defender of the Year, Braig is tied for the team lead with 13 caused turnovers. Braig is a Tewaaraton nominee.
Giles leads Maryland with 50 goals, 21 assists and 71 points while standing second on the team with 26 groundballs. In Big Ten play, Giles has 15 goals and six assists for a team-best 21 goals. A captain on this years team, Giles had four goals and an assist in the Terps win over No. 7 Michigan and has had at least two goals in each Big Ten game. Giles is second in the conference in goals, third in points and fourth in assists. Giles is a Tewaaraton nominee.
Steele has been the lead attacker on Maryland's offense, scoring 36 goals and posting seven assists in just 13 games played. In conference play, the senior has tallied 15 of her 36 goals and five of her seven assists. Steele led Maryland in its 17-13 win a No. 5 Northwestern with five goals and an assist, while also picking up two groundballs. Steele is also second in the league in free position goals per game and third in free position percentage. The attacker was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week on April 16.
Evans leads Maryland with 16 goals over the six game conference slate, closing out the regular season with a six goal, seven point performance in the Terps title-clinching win over No. 23 Johns Hopkins. The graduate student also was huge in Maryland's win over Northwestern with four goals and on the season stands second on team with 41 goals while also tallying 10 assists. The Canisius transfer leads the conference with a 70.6 free position percentage. Evans was named the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week this past week, April 30.
Mercer has been fantastic defensively in conference play, leading the team with seven caused turnovers in the six game conference slate and standing second on the team with nine groundballs. The senior has at least two groundballs in three of the conference games and two caused turnovers in two different games. Overall on the season, Mercer is tied for the team lead with the 13 caused turnovers.
Taylor has been spectacular in goal all season long, leading the country with a 57.4 save percentage, 156 saves to only 116 goals allowed. In conference play, Taylor has a 58.8 save percentage with 50 saves and 35 goals allowed. Taylor has been incremental to a defense that has held opponents to just over seven goals per game, tallying over a 50-percent save percentage in 14 of 17 games this season. The senior shut Ohio State out in the first half this season and held Michigan to only one goal in a half this season. Taylor led the league, earning Big Ten Defensive Player of the Week honors for a conference record six times from March 5 to April 9. The three-time Big Ten Goaltender of the Year, Taylor is a Tewaaraton nominee.
Colson has been a force all over the field this season, leading Maryland with 28 groundballs and standing second on the team in both caused turnovers (12) and draw controls (87). In conference play, Colson leads Maryland with 11 groundballs, securing a career-best five against Penn State and Northwestern. Colson has also been huge in helping Maryland secure a conference best draw control percentage, including a career-high 10 in the Terps win over No. 23 Johns Hopkins.
Hartshorn has been huge on the attack and in the draw circle, standing second on the team with 52 points (38 goals, 14 points) on the season and leading Maryland and standing second in the Big Ten with 114 draw controls. The junior is tied for the team-lead in goals with 16 in conference play, tallying five against Ohio State and four against Johns Hopkins. Hartshorn had at least six draw controls in every Big Ten game, as the Terps won the battle in the circle in all six games. Hartshorn was the Big Ten Offensive Player of the Week on February 19 and is a Tewaaraton Nominee.
Meghan Doherty was named Maryland's sportsmanship honoree.
Since Big Ten lacrosse began back in 2015, Maryland has had 35 All-Big Ten selections.
The Attack Player, Midfielder, Defensive Player and Goaltender of the Year, along with the Freshman and Coach of the Year, will be announced on Monday, May 6 following the conclusion of the Big Ten Tournament.
The top-seeded Terps will take on No. 4-seed Penn State in the Big Ten Tournament semifinals on Friday in Baltimore, Md. Opening draw is scheduled for 5:00 p.m. ET on the Big Ten Network.
-Maryland-
