Annville, Pa. – Attacker of the Year Alina Friz, Midfielder of the Year Stefanie Sellitto, Defender of the Year Lauren Sullivan, and Coach of the Year Maddie Buechli highlighted the Stevens Institute of Technology women's lacrosse team's MAC Freedom awards haul, as announced Wednesday by the league office.

The three major award winners were joined by seniors Maddie Hogan (attack) and Eran Gleason (defense), plus junior Kailyn Vautour (goalie) as the Ducks comprised nearly half of the 14-member First Team. First-year midfielder Gracie Shea and senior defender Lindsay Esposito rounded out the eight All-Conference selections with Second Team honors.

The only major awards not given to Ducks were Goalie of the Year (Larkin Trainor, DeSales) and Rookie of the Year (Emily Mulroony, DeSales).

Friz earned the conference's top attacker distinction after a regular season campaign she finished second in the entire conference in points per game, including an even 5.00 points per game in conference play, capped by a four-goal, nine-point performance (career-high) in a regular season-finale 15-4 win over DeSales that clinched another No. 1 seed for Stevens in the MAC Freedom Tournament. In all, Friz had at least two goals in 15 of Stevens' 17 regular season games and at least four goals in seven. For good measure, Friz also led the team with 23 caused turnovers during the regular season.

Sellitto threepeats as Midfielder of the Year following a second straight season with 50+ ground balls and 20+ caused turnovers, as well as a third straight season with 50+ goals, 60+ points, and 120+ draw controls. In conference play, Sellitto finished with 61 draw controls (three TEAMS totaled 70 or fewer), averaging three controls more per game (8.71) than anyone else (5.00 was second).

Even with Sellitto collecting a sizable contingent of draw controls, Sullivan still ranked ninth in conference play in DCs per game (3.67). During the regular season, she totaled at least 25 ground balls and 15 caused turnovers for the fourth straight season. In the 28-year archived history of the conference (1998), Sullivan becomes the first player to win the same 'Of the Year' honor four times.

Buechli led the Ducks to another undefeated conference campaign, thanks to a defense that yielded just 2.29 goals per game, recording shutouts in three of the team's seven MAC Freedom games, allowing just over nine shots per game, and outscoring the opposition 140-16.

Hogan earned her first top team honor after Second Team recognition each of the previous two seasons. The Montgomery, N.J. native netted a second straight season with 40+ goals and 60+ points, adding a career-high nine caused turnovers for good measure. Hogan capped the regular season with four straight hat tricks in conference play in addition to three five-goal games prior to MAC Freedom play.

Gleason, a 2024 First Team selection and last year's MAC Freedom Tournament MVP, finished the regular season with her second straight 20+ ground ball, 20+ caused turnover campaign. She notched multiple ground balls and caused turnovers in four games, including a 3 GB, 4 CT effort against King's, a 3 GB, 2 CT outing against Arcadia, and capped the regular season against DeSales with six GB and 4 CTs.

Vautour made just one appearance in net over the first four games of the year but made her presence felt once she entered the starting lineup. The junior made 13 saves in a 15-9 road win at then-No. 25 Haverford, then posted a 0.93 goals against average and 0.714 save percentage in MAC Freedom play – both tops in the conference.

One of just four first-year field players to earn All-Conference, Shea started every game for the Ducks, totaling a dozen goals, seven assists, 10 ground balls, and five caused turnovers even prior to the MAC Freedom Tournament. The Fairfield, Conn. native scored two goals in a season-opening win over Roger Willams, notched three-point outings against both King's and Lebanon Valley, and scored twice in a win over Misericordia, part of an eight-goal, 11-point MAC Freedom campaign.

All-Conference Second Team for the third time (2023 and 2024), Epsosito joined both Sellitto and Sullivan as a weapon on draw controls, corralling 56 during the regular season after totaling just 44 in 64 games entering the year. Esposito also collected 16 ground balls and caused 13 turnovers, finishing with three of each in the Top-25 win over Haverford, as well as five CTs throughout MAC Freedom play.
 
Up Next
Stevens faces Saint Joseph's College of Maine in the first round of the NCAA Championships on Saturday, May 9 on the campus of Amherst College. Game time is set for 1 p.m. The winner will play the host Mammoths on Sunday. Links for live stats and live video will be available on stevensducks.com.

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