BABSON PARK, Mass.— Four members of the Babson College women's lacrosse team were recognized when the New England Women's and Men's Athletic Conference (NEWMAC) announced its postseason awards on Wednesday morning.
Senior
Lilly Bedard (Jupiter, Fla.) and sophomore
Courtney Laden (Wilmette, Ill.) were voted to the All-NEWMAC First Team, and sophomores
Mackenzie Cassler (Franklin, Mass.) and
Charleigh Newman (Woodbury, Conn.) were Second Team honorees. All four Beavers earned the honor for the first time in their careers. The All-Conference teams are voted on by the league's 11 head coaches.
Bedard enjoyed the best season of her career this season. A starter on attack in all 18 games this season, she led the team in scoring with 36 goals, 37 assists and 73 points. She finished fourth in the NEWMAC in assists and tied for sixth in points. She tallied at least three points in 14 games and had at least one point in all 18 contests, including a career-best seven-point game (3g, 4a) in a win over Smith and three six-point outings. Her 37 assists rank fourth on Babson's all-time single-season list for assists in a season and her 73 points tie for 13th on the program's single-season points chart.
A four-year veteran, Bedard finished with 47 appearances and 18 starts, accumulating 115 points on 63 goals and 52 assists despite playing just one game as a sophomore due to injury.
Laden started all 18 games for the Beavers this year after transferring from the University of Delaware. She finished third on the team with 34 goals and 35 points, but made her biggest impact in the midfield, where she recorded a team-high 62 draw controls and 24 caused turnovers and tied for second with 26 ground balls. She ranked tied for sixth in the NEWMAC in caused turnovers and ninth in draw controls. She collected at least two draw controls in 16 of her 18 games, including a season-high seven in a win over Salve Regina, and collected at least one ground ball in 14 outings. Her 62 draw controls rank 17th on Babson's all-time single-season list for draw controls in a season.
Cassler and
Newman both started all 18 games on defense for the Beavers who ranked third in the NEWMAC in team defense allowing 8.83 goals per game. They ranked second and third on the team with 17 and 15 caused turnovers, respectively, and Newman led the team with 28 ground balls and Cassler was fourth in 22. Newman grabbed at least one ground ball in 13 of her 18 games including four on three occasions, while Cassler collected at least one ground ball in 13 contests including four in a win over Skidmore.
Babson finished the season with an 11-7 overall record and a 7-3 mark in the NEWMAC. The Beavers advanced to the conference tournament semifinals for the 10th straight season and 21st time in 22 seasons since 2004.
