NORTH CANTON, Ohio- The Great Midwest Athletic Conference released the all-conference list Wednesday afternoon after a vote by the league’s coaches.
 
In addition to a first and second all-conference team, coaches also voted on individual award winners including Attacker of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Midfielder of the Year, and Goalkeeper of the Year.
 
Walsh was the conference’s regular season champion for the fourth straight season. The Cavaliers posted an 8-0 G-MAC record under 2024 Co-Coach of the Year Erin Backinoff. In her second season at the helm of the Walsh lacrosse program, Backinoff led the Cavaliers to a 10-5 overall record while also landing seven student-athletes on the all-conference teams. Walsh’s Mallory Miller and Kathleen Mendenhall headline the awards as the Defensive Player of the Year and Co-Goalkeeper of the Year, respectively. The duo led a Cavalier defense that ranked first in the league in caused turnovers (10.67), goals against average (7.92), and saves percentage (.494). Miller, a junior defender, earned athlete of the week honors on three occasions during the regular season. She is second in the league in ground balls per game at 3.07 and caused turnovers a game at 2.53. Mendenhall, a North Canton, Ohio native, posted a goals against average of 8.42 while averaging a save percentage of .476. Senior Isabella Kelty and Junior Rachel Black join Mendenhall and Miller as first-team selections for the Cavaliers.
 
The No. 2 seed Findlay Oilers were also well-represented on the all-conference teams. Olivia Bakowski earned a share of the Co-Goalkeeper of the Year honors after averaging 8.12 saves per game with a GAA of 11.64. Sophomore Tessa Chuba was voted as the Attacker of the Year after leading the league in goals this season with 54. In addition to her 54 goals this season, Chuba dished out 17 assists for a total of 71 points this season.  
 
Ashland earned the No. 3 seed under Co-Coach of the Year Lauren Simko. Simko coached the Eagles to a 5-2 conference record and a berth to the postseason tournament for the third straight season. She landed four student-athletes on the all-conference teams, including Ashley Drexler who was voted as the top freshman and midfielder in the league. Drexler, a freshman from Brunswick, Ohio, started in all 17 games during her first collegiate season. She scored 28 goals and had 24 assists to total 52 points this season.
 
Jenay Rennie from Tiffin is the Elite 26 Award winner for academic excellence. Rennie is a senior studying Health, Fitness, and Wellness. 

Semifinal matchups are set to begin on May 1 at 12 P.M. ET in North Canton, Ohio. Additional championship information can be found by visiting the Championship Central page.
 
A full list of honorees can be found HERE.