2018 Women's Lacrosse All-Conference Team (PDF)


PAINESVILLE, Ohio – A total of 39 student-athletes were honored as part of the Great Midwest Athletic Conference Women’s Lacrosse All-Conference Team prior to the start of the tournament semifinals on Thursday.
 
Lake Erie was serving as the Great Midwest Championship host as the top seed and the regular-season conference champion in Painesville, Ohio. The Storm played No. 4 seed Ursuline while No. 2 seed Findlay faced off against No. 3 Walsh.
 
The league’s coaches polled to vote for members of the first team, second team and honorable mention team.
 
The individual award winners were also announced with Great Midwest Offensive, Defensive, Freshman and Coach of the Year honors all being swept by Lake Erie.
 
Members of the all-conference team were represented by Alderson Broaddus, Davis & Elkins, Findlay, Lake Erie, Ohio Valley and Ursuline.
 
The first team was highlighted by some serious offensive firepower at the attack position with Ursuline’s Cydney Bartlett, Lake Erie’s Taylor Mathis and Anna Spin and Findlay’s Olivia Sherman.
 
Talented midfielders were also from the four schools with UF’s Ciara Burud and Hannah Peebles, UC’s Natalie Nowicki and LEC’s Cecilia Spin.
 
The Spin sisters, Anna and Cecilia, headlined the Great Midwest Offensive Player of the Year and Great Midwest Defensive Player of the Year awards. Both were conference athletes of the week and helped lead Lake Erie to new heights in its first year as a Great Midwest member institution.
 
Anna Spin, a junior attack/midfielder, was an offensive terror on the pitch with a single-season conference record 96 points, including 62 goals and 34 assists. She led the league in all three main statistical categories - points, goals and assists – and by a considerable margin. She scored 10 points in a game twice this spring, once vs. Wheeling Jesuit and another time vs. Findlay.
 
Sister Cecilia, a senior on the roster, was a major contributor as the team leader in ground balls and added 41 points with 34 goals and seven assists. One of her signature moments was a game-winning goal in overtime against Findlay on March 17.
 
The Storm outscored opponents by a combined score of 278 to 121 this spring in their 16 contests.
 
Rookie midfielder Riley Heffron was tabbed as the Great Midwest Freshman of the Year as she made an immediate impact from California for Lake Erie’s historical run through the 2018 campaign. Heffron earned the trust of the coaching staff to start in all 16 games in her first year with the program and delivered 24 goals and four assists.
 
Great Midwest Coach of the Year Mallory Ferrandiz was recognized by her peers in guiding Lake Erie’s program to a 14-2 overall record, undefeated year in conference play at 12-0, a spot in the Midwest Region rankings and a slot in the IWLCA National Poll.